


Cherry Bomb

by memefucker69



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beach, Fire Dancing, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Smut, Surfing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2018-12-29 21:28:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12093786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memefucker69/pseuds/memefucker69
Summary: On vacation in Maui, a businessman named Kyungsoo finds himself attracted to surfer Jongin, whom he has no idea is the anonymous figure who fire dances on the beach at night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kimdyokai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimdyokai/gifts).



> hello, recipient! i really struggled with turning this fic in on time, but i hope you enjoy it nonetheless! i did tons of research on surfing and fire dancing in preparation for this, but if i got a few things wrong just let me know :3c ALSO this fic exchange thoroughly fucked me (bc of me going back to school) so it's....unfinished. IT HAS AN ENDING THAT MAKES SENSE but there's a whole other part of the story that i didn't get to, so hopefully i can write that when kaisoommer is over! hope you like it though!

Kyungsoo hates flying. 

First class is alright but not in a 20+ hour flight with boredom that makes him want to claw his eyes out. An expensive family vacation to Maui for a month to accompany his brother’s marriage. It sounded fun in theory, but Kyungsoo prefers to keep a clean distance from his family nowadays for multiple reasons. He declined initially until Seungsoo begged him to be his best man, and now he’s sitting reclined in a chair with an eye mask on and hoping his older sister, Kyungri, will stop humming to her music.

“I’m deteriorating,” he grumbles, slumping further into his seat. “Are we almost there?”

“Seven more hours.” Seungsoo laughs from the seat across from him. “You should be excited! Maui is beautiful, and there’s so much to do.”

“I’m a vampire who hates the sun.”

“Funny. You do need to get out more though after sitting in your office all day,” Seungsoo points out. Kyungsoo runs the Tokyo branch of their father’s company, so he tends to be in Japan and away from the rest of the family. He prefers it that way, really. He still visits them every couple of months.

“I get out...sometimes.” Kyungsoo purses his lips. He’s been known to go clubbing occasionally and having one-night stands every now and then.

“Don’t worry, Kyungsoo. I’ll drag you out of your hotel room every chance I get in Maui.” Kyungsoo lifts his eyemask to stare at his brother incredulously, and Seungsoo winks at him.

“Enough about me.” Kyungsoo sighs and then smiles, resting his sleeping mask on his forehead. “Are you ready to get married?” He waggles his brows.

Seungsoo glances behind himself to make sure his fiancée, Yuri, is still asleep before answering with a sheepish grin. “Of course I am. She’s the love of my life and my best friend. We’ve been waiting for this wedding forever now. I mean, I did propose a year ago, you know.”

“I’m happy for you.” Kyungsoo leans back in his seat. “I wish it was me, but alas…”  _ I’m gay _ .

“Hey! You never know.” Seungsoo reaches over to punch him in the shoulder. “Maybe a couple years from now, we’ll be going to  _ your  _ wedding instead.”

Kyungsoo laughs wholeheartedly and replies with a  _ maybe _ . But he really knows that marriage is and always will be impossible for him, regardless of his lack of love life. He doubts that even if he could, his parents and family would seldom respect it. Another reason why it’s convenient to be in another country.

It seems like forever before the pilot  _ finally  _ announces that they’ll be landing in Maui shortly. Kyungsoo opens the window blind and sees the land swiftly approaching. It’s nighttime, but Hawaii still looks breathtaking. And he’s relieved once they’re allowed to leave the cabin and exit the airport a little after that. Their father rented a couple of luxury cars with private drivers, and Kyungsoo piles into one with Seungsoo, Yuri, and Yuri’s sister, Yoona.

Their hotel sits right at the beach, and while everyone else plans to drop their things off at the hotel room and run to the sand, Kyungsoo denies the offer. He’s way too sleepy to go get his feet dirty in the sand. All he wants to do is shower and collapse on his big, comfy hotel bed due to jetlag. Seungsoo tries to push him, as promised, but Kyungsoo manages to shut the door to his room in his face before he can force himself in.

And then it’s pure silence.

The hotel rooms are gorgeous as expected, on the top floor too. He doubts his father would ever spare any expense, especially on a vacation, and Kyungsoo admires the view of the ocean from his balcony sliding doors. He can feel himself already relaxing, now that the stress of the company is momentarily lifted from his exhausted shoulders. Even more so when he strips down and steps under the rainfall shower.

He nearly falls asleep under the hot water and only shuts off the water to quickly dry off before collapsing butt-naked onto his bed with the lights off. It doesn’t take that long for him to snooze off into dreamland after that.

 

Somehow, Kyungsoo manages to wake up just after nine o’clock in the morning. He definitely had a restful sleep, judging by his groggy head, and he manages to get up, shower in his huge bathroom, and get dressed before ordering breakfast from room service. It arrives fairly quickly, and he devours the pancakes with coconut syrup in no time. He has quite a sweet tooth, so he stores it in his memory to have again.

Checking his phone, he ignores the work emails and sees that Kyungri fully updated her instagram last night with pictures of the family at the beach. Seungsoo also took a picture with Yuri kissing his cheek, and Kyungsoo smiles, honestly happy for the two of them. It looks like they had fun, but he stands behind his decision to get more sleep, knowing he would’ve passed out in the sand otherwise. Not to mention he turns into quite the grump when tired.

He’s replying to a text from his best friend, Baekhyun, when he hears a knock on the door of his hotel room. They didn’t have anything planned for today, but that doesn’t stop Kyungsoo’s family from trying to drag him out anyways.

Kyungsoo opens the door to see Seungsoo standing there with a grin. “We’re hitting the beach in ten minutes! Meet in the lobby.”

Did Kyungsoo mention he’s not an outside person? Let alone a lover of sunny weather?

But Seungsoo manages to convince him to leave his cage, and he finds himself walking out onto the beach with brand new swim trunks on that he bought last week. He’s been working out with Baekhyun lately, so he isn’t ashamed to go out with his chest bare for once.

The hotel rents out umbrellas, so Seungsoo hauls one out with them, along with some beach toys for Kyungri’s daughter, Youngmi. Kyungsoo is fairly impressed once he steps out onto the smooth, warm sand and stares out into the clear blue water. It’s nothing like the beaches he’s used to, more like paradise, and he zones out for a moment before his mother’s nagging voice breaks it, and she’s pulling on his arm.

“Sunscreen, Kyungsoo, sunscreen!” She yells, dragging him to sit down on the beach towel underneath the big umbrella. He plops down with a huff, glaring at his brother when he chuckles as their mother aggressively lathers him in sunscreen. It’s unbelievable how she  _ still  _ manages to baby him as her youngest child, even when he’s twenty-seven and a CEO. “You have to keep your skin nice and soft.”

His mother finally leaves him alone once she deems him protected from the harsh UV rays, and Kyungsoo pouts under the umbrella, watching Kyungri and Youngmi stand in the tide. Now he kind of wishes he hadn’t come. He can’t even get a good signal on his phone!

Well, that’s lasts about a minute before he happens to look up and see a group of  _ very  _ attractive, lean, muscular, and tan men jogging by. Their sweat glistens on their bare chests and abs, and Kyungsoo subtly leans back and enjoys the view. Maybe he needs to rethink his past statement.

Youngmi ends up roping him into building a sandcastle with her with her few plastic buckets and shovels. With determination in his gaze, he sets out on making the most grand sandcastle on the whole island, going as far as to make four castles and letting Youngmi dig the moat. (She accidentally knocks over one castle, but that’s fine.)

“Your back’s getting red,” Seungsoo points out as he takes a seat next to Kyungsoo, helping Youngmi fill up another bucket of sand. “Don’t worry I won’t tell Mom.”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo grumbles, sending him a glare. “I don’t know why she still haggles me like that.”

“Ah, well, you’re still a baby in our eyes.” Seungsoo snickers and pinches Kyungsoo’s cheek with his sandy fingers, leaning away when his brother tries to slap him in response. “By the way, I wanted to ask you something.”

“What?”

“I signed us up for surfing lessons tomorrow - as in me, you, and Dad - so I want you to go.” He proposes.

Kyungsoo instantly shoots him down. “No, thanks.” Sports and him don’t mix, especially surfing of all things. He’d rather die than embarrass himself on a surfboard.

“Aww, come on! It’ll be fun, and Hawaii is made for surfing!” Seungsoo shakes him by the shoulder. “You’re my best man, so you have to go.”

“I relinquish my position as best man.”

“Nope. Not allowed. You’re coming.”

Sensing that Seungsoo will keep pushing it, Kyungsoo sighs as he puts down another sand castle. “Fine, I’ll go, but only because you paid for it.”

“Great! We’re gonna have lots of fun, don’t you worry.” Seungsoo slaps his back once, and Kyungsoo yelps at the sting. Maybe he really should reapply sunscreen.

 

The following morning, Kyungsoo reluctantly goes along with Seungsoo and their father into town, dressed in his swim trunks and an old t-shirt. He tries not to glower the entire car ride there because Seungsoo seems excited, but on the inside he wishes he could be anywhere else right now, even his big office back in Tokyo. Kyungsoo just knows that it's gonna be hot as hell out, he's gonna get sunburnt (again), and he's going to embarrass himself in front of a stranger A.K.A their surfing instructor.

The surf shop they arrive at is tucked into a row of shops, between a bakery and some fast food joint that Kyungsoo isn't familiar with, and painted a faded orange. Named simply  _ Momo's Surf Supply _ , the shop is completely open with only a garage door rolled up to reveal the rows of surfboards and shelves filled with scuba gear and some other surfing items. Seungsoo leads them inside, and Kyungsoo can hear some mainstream American pop music playing from an old radio in the corner and next to said radio is a tall guy with his back to them, shaking his hips as he fixes a display of what seems to be tins of surfboard wax.

He doesn't notice them until Seungsoo clears his throat. " _ Uh, are you Jongin? _ " He asks in English.

Jumping in surprise, the man named Jongin turns around - and to think that Kyungsoo thought he couldn't get any more gay. He has a toned, muscular build, evident through his sunset orange muscle tank with the shop's name on it, and every inch of tanned skin on his arms and parts of his chest is covered in tattoos. Not to mention, Jongin has a handsome face with piercings on both ears, two in his right eyebrow, and a septum piercing, and his hair is black, the underside shaved with two horizontal lines as designs on either side of his head.

To put it simply, he is a meal - a full-course meal, with seconds if one so desires.

" _ Sorry, I was caught up in a song _ ," Jongin laughs. " _ Do Seungsoo, right? My boss told me you'd be coming for lessons today. _ " He has the prettiest smile ever, dimples showing as he turns his attention to Kyungsoo and their father. 

"You must be his brother and father." Thankfully, he switches to Korean. Kyungsoo's English isn't  _ bad _ , but he'd rather not slip up now in front of this good-looking surfer guy.

He holds out his hand to Kyungsoo first, and Kyungsoo avoids eye contact as he shakes his hand. Americans. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kyungsoo."

After shaking his father's hand and Seungsoo's as well, Jongin says, "Kyungsoo, Seungsoo and Mr. Do, my name is Kim Jongin. I've lived in Maui my whole life, and I've been surfing since I could swim."

"How long is that?" Kyungsoo's father asks with a teasing grin.

Jongin chuckles. "I'm twenty-three, Mr. Do, so about eighteen years? Let me show you around the shop, and you can pick out your boards before we head out to the waves."

He leads them around the shop, and Kyungsoo can hardly pay any attention to what he's saying, not that he really cares all that much. Jongin has broad shoulders and a smaller waist, and Kyungsoo's eyes trace over every tattoo on his arms, wondering if there's any meaning to them.

They end up picking out water shoes and gloves because Jongin states that the reefs can be dangerous, especially for beginners who tend to tumble a lot. Kyungsoo's not looking forward to that part of the lessons. And then after what seems like an hour long information hotline, Jongin finally lets them pick out a board.

"You wanna choose from these rows over here. Longboards and funboards are best for beginners," Jongin says, and Kyungsoo wanders down the rows and rows of surfboards, checking out each design. They're only using them for the day, so it's not like it really matters.

He ends up choosing something simplistic: a white longboard with navy trim and the brand name on the bottom. His father picks similarly with just a plain black funboard, and Seungsoo goes for a rainbow tie-dye longboard that makes Kyungsoo roll his eyes.

"Ready?" Jongin grins. "Alright, let me grab my board and close up the shop. I'll meet you guys outside." He throws them a wave as he heads into the back, leaving them alone to gather outside of the shop.

"He seems nice," Seungsoo says.

"Too many tattoos, but nice," Mr. Do replies, and Kyungsoo resists the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, this is fun. I'd rather do this than the actual surfing part," Kyungsoo grumbles.

"Told you we should've taken Yuri's brother instead of him," Seungsoo mutters to their father, and Kyungsoo shoots him a glare.

"Oh, is he gonna be your best man now?" Kyungsoo makes a move to whack his brother with his surfboard, but he startles at the sound of the garage door behind him being pulled down. He turns around to see Jongin there, holding his own surfboard under his arm and now donning sunglasses as he bends down and locks up, keys jingling.

"Did I miss something interesting?" Jongin grins as he stands up. "You probably shouldn't use a surfboard as a weapon, by the way."

"Oh, it was just Kyungsoo refusing to surf is all." Seungsoo chuckles.

Kyungsoo blushes down to his toes, mortified and inwardly reminds himself to give Seungsoo a proper piece of his mind once they aren't in public. Now he's going to seem like a whiny little baby in front of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.

Jongin just laughs. "Ah, well, it's normal to be nervous. You'll be perfectly safe with me, though!" He puts a hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder, and the latter stares at Jongin's bulging bicep. "No one's an amazing surfer when they first try anyways."

That makes him feel a little bit better, especially knowing that Jongin doesn't seem like the type to make fun of Kyungsoo's most likely sad attempts at surfing. "Um, thanks."  _ Smooth _ .

" _ No problem! _ " Jongin replies in English. "Alright, the beach entrance is only a block away, so we can walk there in no time. Just try not to hit your board on anything." He starts down the sidewalk, and the rest of them follow.

The sun is already beaming down on them, and Kyungsoo thanks whoever's out there that he remembered to bring extra sunscreen. He hopes they get to the beach fast and into the water before he burns up to a crisp right then and there on the sidewalk. Wiping sweat off his brow, Kyungsoo's thankful when Jongin's finally leading them down some beaten, wooden stairs and onto the white sandy beach.

"Here seems like a good spot," Jongin mumbles to himself as they stop a few meters from the water and a good distance from a group of people playing ultimate frisbee. He stakes his surfboard into the sand, and Kyungsoo and his family follow suit. Jongin's board is a bright red, and down the length of it is a scrawled white font reading...

" _ Cherry bomb? _ " Seungsoo reads aloud. "Why's that?"

"Oh, it's just a nickname." Jongin chuckles but doesn't elaborate. Seungsoo and Kyungsoo exchange confused looks. "Anyways, we have to practice popping up on the beach first before we try and tackle the water."

"Popping up?" Kyungsoo questions.

"It's when you pop up into a standing position once you catch the wave. There's many techniques to this, but I'll teach you just one for today," Jongin explains. "Let me show you first. Be sure to bury the fins of your board into the sand so they don't break off while we're practicing."

He kicks his board down onto the sand before taking off his tank top and throwing it down onto the sand. Kyungsoo's throat goes dry at Jongin's abs, covered in floral tattoos and other swirling designs. He doesn't get to ogle anymore as Jongin lowers himself down onto his stomach. Right, right, they're surfing. This is a surfing lesson.

"You want to lie down towards the end of the board and keep your legs together." Jongin demonstrates. He lifts his head up and begins a paddling motion with his arms. "Then you start paddling,  _ only  _ with your arms, not your legs. Beginner mistake. And keep your head up as you paddle so you can see. About this time you'll start to feel the wave push you, and at this point, I always say to do about two more paddles to make sure you're fully with the wave."

Jongin then moves his hands to rest beneath his chest. "Now for the pop up, you want to place your hands beneath your chest, and you want to place your toes on the board. You're gonna use these to push up. And when you push up you want to bring your right knee up to where your chin is, twisting your hips just a little." Jongin pushes up easily into a kneeling position. "And from here, it's easy to raise yourself up into the surfing stance." He turns his hips as he stands up.

He says something else, but Kyungsoo's attention is caught by something glimmering on Jongin's pecs. Wait...he has nipple piercings? Blinking, he makes sure he's seeing right, and sure enough there's one silver stud in each of Jongin's nipples.

Be strong, Kyungsoo, be strong.

Tuning back in, he quickly realizes that Jongin's telling them to try it themselves. He had made it seem so easy and effortless, but trying it to push himself up by his arms and toes makes Kyungsoo realize how weak his arms actually are. He does go to the gym, but never does he focus on his arms. Seungsoo does it with no problem, but Kyungsoo and his dad are stuck asking Jongin to show them again.

"Remember that you can't end up on both knees, okay?" Jongin's voice is encouraging, and Kyungsoo finds himself determined to prove to Jongin that he can do it, especially since it only took his dad one more try to accomplish it. This is Kyungsoo's sixth or seventh try.

Furrowing his brows, he lies back down on the board, placing his hands beneath his chest and pushing himself up. This time he somehow manages to end up on one knee, and is purely amazed, slowly bringing himself up to a stand.

"You did it!" Jongin cheers, clapping. "Congrats, Kyungsoo!" Despite the tattoos, piercings, and muscles, he manages to look really cute, and Kyungsoo can't resist smiling a celebratory smile in response.

"Now I think we're ready for the water, but first we have to wax our boards." Jongin pulls out a rectangular tin of surfboard wax. "This isn't that complicated, so I'll help Kyungsoo with his board, and Mr. Do and Seungsoo, you can follow along."

Jongin kneels down next to Kyungsoo's board, brushing off the sand before showing them how to cross-hatch the wax. He asks Kyungsoo to take over after a few lines, and when Kyungsoo messes up, Jongin takes his hand in his and guides it. Kyungsoo almost forgets his father and brother are there, wrapped up in Jongin's smooth voice next to his ear and his warm hand over his. He could talk to Kyungsoo about building a solid foundation of wax all day if it was like this.

"Are you even moving your hand, Kyungsoo?" Jongin murmurs, chuckling. He's obviously teasing, but Kyungsoo feels his face heat up, and it's not from the sun. Could Jongin be...flirting?

But once Kyungsoo starts to wax on his own, Jongin lets him go and hurries to wax his own board. Maybe he was just imagining it, wishful thinking.

Finally, they're ready to hit the water. They attach their leashes to their ankles, and Jongin guides them to swim out to where the water stops forming waves or before "the break zone" as Jongin calls it. They stop and sit on their boards, looking towards the horizon.

"You want to look for lumps," Jongin explains. "That's where a wave is going to form and break later on. Like that one for example." He points further out, and they watch as the lump in the water builds speed and then breaks, becoming a wave. "You want to paddle out and position yourself, so that the wave is beneath you just before it breaks, and when you feel it lift, that's when you stand up on your board."

"Can you show us first?" Seungsoo asks, and Jongin nods with a grin.

"Just know that it's not as easy as it seems," Jongin says before he turns and starts to paddle out. It seems almost natural the way he catches a wave and doesn't even hesitate before standing up. He doesn't wobble and barely even moves his arms as he rides it out.

"How are we supposed to do  _ that _ ?" Kyungsoo sighs. And he thought being able to pop up was an accomplishment.

"I anticipate lots and lots of falling, my dear brother." Seungsoo laughs. At least one of them is excited.

Jongin swims back in no time, and he encourages them to go out and just try. Reluctantly, Kyungsoo follows suit, paddling out beside his brother and father. Seungsoo tries to catch the wave but falls off his board before he can even try, meanwhile Kyungsoo and his dad end up just boogie boarding out.

"Come on! Just come back and try again!" Jongin calls out, cupping his hands around his mouth. "You were almost there, Seungsoo!"

Thus, Kyungsoo spits out the saltwater in his mouth and swims back out beyond the break zone. He tries again and actually manages to catch a decent wave, but of course he struggles to pop up again, and the board flips over with him, swallowed by the wave. But Kyungsoo keeps on swimming back and attempting it again, encouraged by Jongin's instruction and pointers he yells to him in-between. Seungsoo hasn't managed it yet, so Kyungsoo is determined to beat him this time.

It seems like hours of time and gallons of saltwater down his throat before he finally gets somewhere. It's like adrenaline suddenly decided to kick in, and Kyungsoo actually manages to pop up properly - and it's like he's flying. He laughs in surprise for all of five seconds...before his board nosedives and brings him down with it. Kyungsoo gets back up to the surface with a smile though, riding the waves back to the shore and collapsing on the wet sand of the beach next to his board. He's so tired.

"Kyungsoo!"

He opens his eyes and sits up to see Jongin surfing perfectly before swimming out and running down the tide towards him. "That was amazing! You did really well!"

Kyungsoo grins in satisfaction, giving Jongin the high-five he's prompted. "Thanks. I can only owe it to my teacher."

Jongin gives him a look of surprise and then a sheepish smile. "Well, you're welcome then."

"Well, well, well, looks like someone enjoyed surfing more than they thought they would," Seungsoo says mockingly as he makes his way over with their father.

"Good job, Kyungsoo," his dad compliments, giving him a high-five too. Wow, who knew it took surfing for him to say that to Kyungsoo for the first time instead of running a branch of his company in another country.

"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night." Kyungsoo gives a lazy v-sign. "You guys can try some more. I think I'm done."

"Actually," Jongin says, "our lesson time is about up. I was gonna head over to this food truck that has really good tacos if you guys wanna come." He forks his thumb behind him towards the right side of the beach.

"Seungsoo and I have to get back to wedding planning," Kyungsoo's father sighs. "Sadly."

"I can go." Kyungsoo gets to his feet in a matter of seconds, eager to spend some time alone with Jongin (and away from all of the wedding stress).

"Great!" Jongin smiles. "Let's go put the boards back, and you guys can get back to the exciting wedding planning."

Seungsoo and their dad sigh in unison.

 

Kyungsoo almost wants to cry when Jongin puts his shirt back on, getting one last glance at the nipple piercings. But he is glad that his brother and father leave, less nagging from Seungsoo and more talking from Jongin.

"So who's getting married?" Jongin asks as they head down the sidewalk.

"Oh, Seungsoo is. It's the point of this whole trip really," Kyungsoo replies, running a hand through his damp hair.

"Really?" Jongin sounds surprised, and he chuckles. "I actually thought it was you because you look the age, and maybe you were being left in the dark about the wedding plans."

Kyungsoo laughs dryly. "Well, I am twenty-seven, but I'll probably never get married." Being gay in Korea and Japan just meant he was going to be stuck forever engaged or not legally married - if he could ever find  _ the one _ that is.

"Why's that?" Jongin raises his brows.

He debates telling the truth since he knows that Americans are generally more lax about the whole "being homosexual" ordeal, and that would also give Jongin the signal that he's interested. But if Jongin actually wasn't gay or interested, it would be awkward.

"I'm just forever single," Kyungsoo says instead with a shrug. It's not like it's a lie.

Jongin giggles, his eyes scrunching up cutely and dimples showing. "I'm the same, don't worry."

With Jongin's looks, Kyungsoo would think he's already dating someone. But hearing that he isn't has Kyungsoo hopeful, even if Jongin seems to be severely out of his league.

"So what do you do for a living?" Jongin asks as they make their way onto the beach. In the distance, Kyungsoo can see a bright orange truck parked and a line of people in front of it, picnic tables around it.

"I run a branch of my father's company in Japan. What about you?" He doubts Jongin could only be working at the surf shop.

"Oh, wow, you're a CEO?" Jongin goes wide-eyed, obviously not expecting that. Kyungsoo doesn't blame him; he is on the shorter side and only wearing swim trunks and a t-shirt at the moment. "I actually only work part-time for the surf shop. I work nights at one of the clubs nearby."

"Bartender?" Kyungsoo could see that.

Jongin gives a sly smile. "Not exactly."

Before Kyungsoo could really wonder what that meant, they were stepping in line for the food truck. It seemed to mostly be Hawaiian spins on tacos, and Jongin assures him that the blackened fish tacos are the best, and that he should definitely try them. Taking his word for it, Kyungsoo steps up and orders, searching his pockets for his wallet, only to realize he forgot it.

But he doesn't get to say a word as Jongin steps him alongside him. " _ I'll take the same thing, and two bottles of water please. _ " He pulls out his wallet and hands the cashier his card.

"You really didn't have to..." Kyungsoo murmurs as they step off to the side to wait for their order. He honestly can't remember the last time someone offered to pay for him, whether it be going on dates or on business lunches.

"Well I wasn't going to let you starve," Jongin chuckles, handing him a bottle of water. "Think of it as a congratulations for catching your first wave." He raises his own water and taps it against Kyungsoo's before taking a swig.

Kyungsoo scoffs. "If you could call it that. I was just lucky."

"Regardless, it was really good for a beginner on their first day."

They sit down at an empty bench nearby once they get their food. It smells so good, and Kyungsoo's stomach instantly growls as he picks up one of the tacos. If there was one thing he learned about Hawaii so far, it’s that they know their way around spices and food, and these tacos are no exception. Kyungsoo groans, going back in for another bite and hearing Jongin chuckle.

“They’re good, right?” Jongin says as he chews, wiping at his mouth with a napkin. He has crema on the corner of his lips that he completely misses, but Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything because it’s kind of cute. Jongin is pretty cute, despite his muscular build, tattoos, and piercings.

Kyungsoo notices something else while they’re eating hungrily in silence. Jongin gulps down some water, Adam's apple bobbing in a somehow attractive way, and when he opens his mouth to take another bite Kyungsoo sees something glimmer on his tongue. It takes him a second to realize.

"You...have a tongue piercing?" Kyungsoo asks in pure surprise. He's actually never seen one in person.

"Huh?" Jongin's cheeks puff out as he eats the remainder of his first taco. He quickly swallows and smiles. "Ah, yeah, I got it a year ago." He sticks out his tongue, and sure enough there sits a little silver ball - like Kyungsoo didn't have enough reasons to be attracted to Jongin.

"Whoa," Kyungsoo blinks. "Piercings are really foreign to me. I don't know many people who have them."

"Ah, well, I have many." Jongin smirks.

"Yeah, um, I saw the ones on your..." Kyungsoo clears his throat and motions to Jongin's chest.

"Nipples?" Jongin snickers, and he actually has the tenacity to  _ touch  _ one of them over his shirt, pursing his lips as he looks at them thoughtfully. "I think I got these...two years ago? Yeah. They hurt like a bitch."

Kyungsoo gulps, forcing himself to look down at his food. "I-I bet." He starts on his second taco.

"So what are you looking forward to in Maui?" Jongin asks curiously, already finishing his meal.

Shrugging, Kyungsoo replies, "I only came here for the wedding. I don't really know much about this place."

Jongin grins. "Let me be your tour guide then! We can exchange numbers and maybe hang out some more. I can show you plenty of nice places to visit - and good food too." Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his phone with no case and a cracked screen. It makes sense that Jongin would live on the edge.

"Sure," Kyungsoo nods with a smile of his own. "I'd really like that."

After he puts his number into Jongin's phone, they talk a little more. Jongin talks about the few Korean restaurants on Maui and then mentions a few of his favorites. It's not boring at all to a foodie like Kyungsoo, and he responds with some amazing (and albeit expensive) restaurants in Tokyo.

“I’ve never actually left Maui,” Jongin admits as they’re walking back. “I’ve always wanted to go see other parts of the world, but money holds me back, y’know?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t really know that feeling, but he nods anyways. “Well, if you ever got the chance, I’d take it. Living in Tokyo has been a great experience for me, and I’ve been to countries in Europe and America several times.”

“Ugh, I’m jealous.” Jongin puts a hand over his heart with a groan. Kyungsoo knows he was fed with a silver spoon since birth, so he says nothing else.

He calls his sister to come pick him up from the surf shop, and when they arrive, she’s already waiting, waving to him from the window. Kyungsoo kind of regrets having to leave, but he knows they could probably use some help with the wedding - or at least emotional support. With a grin, he takes Jongin's offered hand.

"Thank you for the lesson and food. I actually really had fun," Kyungsoo admits sheepishly.

"Me too! You seem like a cool guy, Kyungsoo." Jongin chuckles and claps his shoulder. "I'm serious about showing you around or just hanging out in general. Message or call whenever!"

He nods, and with a wave he climbs into the rental car. Kyungsoo isn't sure he'll get the courage to call Jongin up on that offer, but the fact that he got his number at all makes him happy as hell.

 

With the wedding three days away, Kyungsoo spends the following morning at the venue for the event of holy matrimony. The actual ceremony will take place on the beach, but the rest of the wedding is in a resort villa that Seungsoo and Yuri are staying at during their honeymoon. It's incredibly beautiful, and with his mother's styling skills, Kyungsoo can already see it coming together. He helps setting up some and even calling the florist for his mother to make sure the flowers are coming in time.

He's kicked out in the afternoon after there isn't much for him to help with. Kyungsoo spends the rest of the day alone, stopping by a café for a couple of hours. The coffee and pastries are really delicious, and he reminds himself to come back again before he leaves. Returning to his hotel room, he takes a nap and then checks his social media. It's then that he remembers that his best friend, Baekhyun, told him to call him.

Without even thinking about what time it must be in Tokyo, Kyungsoo facetimes him. It rings for a while before he finally picks up. The light from the phone shines on Baekhyun's groggy face, and he squints at the screen.

_ "Kyungsoo?" _ he mumbles.  _ "What's up?" _

“Oh, shit, sorry.” Kyungsoo forgot that it’s early morning over there. “I didn’t mean to wake you up, Baekhyun.”

_ “Nah, s’okay.” _ Baekhyun yawns, and he gets up to turn on the lamp next to him. The light emits a soft glow, and Kyungsoo can spot Baekhyun’s boyfriend, Yixing, sleeping next to him, completely undisturbed.  _ “I have tomorrow - or today really - off anyways. How’s Maui?” _

“It’s really nice, as expected.” Kyungsoo leans back against the headboard of his bed. “Everyone’s stressed about the wedding, so I haven’t done much.”

_ “I saw Seungsoo’s instagram post. He said you’re a surfing  _ **_master_ ** _.” _

Kyungsoo had seen the post, a selfie Seungsoo had taken of him floating in the ocean on his board with Kyungsoo in the background, holding a deflated V sign. He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, well, I was the only one who was able to stand up on the surfboard.”

_ “Ooooh,” _ Baekhyun giggles, his voice still rough.  _ “I’m surprised they managed to get your gay ass out in the water.” _

“Actually, the surfing instructor was... _ really _ hot,” Kyungsoo grins. “Tattoos and piercings and abs, Baek,  _ abs _ .”

_ “I never knew you were into the dangerous beefcake type.”  _ Baekhyun raises his brows.  _ “Are you gonna ask him out or anything?” _

Kyungsoo frowns. “I don’t know if he’s gay. I mean, he gave me his number and all, but he could just want to be my friend.”

“True, but are you gonna get any action while down there?”

He shrugs. Honestly, he had thought about going out for a drink or something because Kyungsoo frequented a few clubs in Tokyo and sometimes brought home another man. But he doesn’t know anyone here in Maui to go clubbing with and be able to express his sexuality freely. “I don’t know anyone or any clubs here.”

_ “Oh, fuck!” _ Baekhyun suddenly sits up as if he had a revelation.  _ “Shit, I think a friend I know works in a gay club in Maui. Fuck, what’s the name…” _ He furrows his brows and thinks for a solid minute before he turns to his boyfriend sleeping next to him. 

The camera trembles as Baekhyun whispers Yixing’s name and shakes him gently.  _ “Hey, babe, what’s that club in Maui that Jongdae works at?” _

Yixing groans and mumbles something in Mandarin tiredly, and it takes Baekhyun several iterations of the same question until Yixing finally manages to mutter,  _ “The Fisher’s Catch.” _

_ “That’s what it was!”  _ Baekhyun grins and leans down to kiss Yixing’s forehead.

“Fisher’s Catch?” Kyungsoo asks, switching apps on his phone to look it up. It seems to be downtown and only a few minutes away, and it truly is an LGBT+ club. The building looks really modern and backs right up onto the beach with a nightly DJ and outdoor bonfire.

_ “Yeah, my friend Jongdae from university works there as a bartender. He’s probably working there tonight. You should go out and meet him!” _ Baekhyun encourages, settling back down on his pillow when Yixing sleepily wraps a possessive arm around him.  _ “Enjoy Maui to its fullest.” _

“I guess I can.” After dinner with the family, he can probably sneak out alone without anyone asking where he’s going or trying to tag along. It’s been a long time since he got laid anyways, and it’s  _ his  _ vacation.

_ “Sweet. Tell Jongdae I said hi when you meet him.”  _ Baekhyun sighs.  _ “Also if you’re looking for someone to fuck, don’t go after him. He’s a whiner.” _

“Noted,” Kyungsoo chuckles. “Well, I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

_ “Yeah,” _ Baekhyun scoffs.  _ “Hopefully Yixing isn’t too mad at me for waking him up.” _ Kyungsoo knows Yixing could never get angry at Baekhyun.

They end the call shortly after that, and Kyungsoo finds himself looking forward to the evening. He goes out to dinner to some A-list restaurant near the hotel and then returns to his room to change his outfit. Managing to decide on something between fancy and casual, a black button-up and a nice pair of jeans that make his ass look great. Kyungsoo styles his hair up and puts on some BB cream to cover up the few blemishes he has, and as a last minute decision he decides to apply a little eyeliner.

Looking up directions to the club, he manages to walk there with no problem, navigating the streets well. The thumping bass is heard a block away, and as Kyungsoo approaches there's a decent line to the entrance of the club, sleek and black with a bright blue neon sign reading  _ The Fisher's Catch _ . He gets in line behind a tall blonde girl and toys with his phone as he waits. As the line builds behind him, Kyungsoo can feel the stares directed at his shapely thighs and butt. It only works to stroke his ego as he takes pride in his best assets.

The music is loud and near deafening as Kyungsoo makes it past the bouncer and in the doors. The inside of the club is dark with flashing lights and moving bodies, and past the main dance floor and bar, Kyungsoo can see that large garage doors are rolled up to lead out to the beach where even more people are out dancing and having fun. For it being a gay club, he didn't expect it to be so big, but he's pleasantly surprised. None of the clubs in Tokyo are this big, but everything's bigger in America, as they say.

He decides to make his way to the bar, hoping he can find Jongdae or at least someone to talk to. Kyungsoo squeezes through moving bodies and loud mouths to seat himself on an empty stool. The bar is pretty huge as well with at least five people working it, and he waits for a couple minutes before a male bartender settles in front of him with a cat-like smile.

" _ What can I get you, sir? _ " He asks in English, a tinge of a Korean accent. Kyungsoo's eyes drift down to read his name tag. JD.

Kyungsoo raises his brows. "Jongdae?"

"Well, I wasn't offering myself, but..." Jongdae's eyes skim down Kyungsoo with a smirk. "I can be on the menu if you want me to."

He scoffs. "No, Byun Baekhyun mentioned you when he recommended this club to me. I'm one of his childhood friends, Do Kyungsoo." Kyungsoo holds out a hand.

"Oh, yeah! He's mentioned you a few times before." Jongdae grins and shakes his hand. "What brings you to Maui? You work in Tokyo, right?"

"Yeah, I'm here for my brother's wedding."

"Well, welcome to Maui! And welcome to this fine establishment." Jongdae motions around him. "Can I get you something to drink, Kyungsoo?"

Kyungsoo hums and smiles. "Surprise me."

Jongdae shoots him with finger guns. "Gotcha! Be right back."

Kyungsoo watches him walk over to the beer tap, only to be distracted by a tap on his left shoulder. He turns his head to see a taller guy sitting beside him, looking at Kyungsoo with a wide smile. His hair is black and fluffy like a poodle's, and he's dressed in an over-sized hoodie and holding a bottle of beer.

"Korean?" He asks in said language, his voice surprisingly deep.

He's pretty cute, so Kyungsoo raises a brow and turns fully towards him. "Yeah, it's my first time here though."

"Hey, welcome to Maui then." He grins and raises his beer before taking a swig.

"Chanyeol, stop flirting with the new guy." Jongdae rolls his eyes as he sets down a cold beer glass in front of Kyungsoo. "Pineapple beer on the house. Try it. You'll like it." He throws Kyungsoo another mischievous grin before sauntering over to another customer.

Sliding the glass closer to him, Kyungsoo takes a whiff. It smells like any other beer but a little sweeter. He takes a small sip and finds that it isn't half bad. It's kind of weird, but in a good way, and he takes a swig this time.

"It's good, right? They brew it here in Maui," Chanyeol starts up another conversation.

"It's alright." Kyungsoo shrugs. "I'm not a huge fan of beer anyways."

"Really?" Chanyeol leans his elbow onto the bar, resting his head in his palm with a flirtatious smile. "You look the type. Rich, clean, and handsome."

Kyungsoo chuckles at the obvious flirting. "Thanks. Do you come here often?"

Chanyeol nods. "It's a really nice place - good drinks and entertainment. I tend to come with my friends, but tonight I came alone." He grins.

"Why's that?"

"Well, I was hoping I wouldn't leave alone," Chanyeol replies in a deep purr, lifting his foot slightly to brush suggestively against Kyungsoo's.

Impressed, Kyungsoo says, "Show me a good time, and maybe you won't."

He and Chanyeol talk a little more, mostly about how Chanyeol used to live in Texas and moved to Maui for a job offer. Jongdae chimes in every now and then once he has a chance, asking about how Baekhyun's doing (good) and if he and Yixing have tied the knot yet (no, but hopefully soon). Eventually he gets dragged outside onto the beach by Chanyeol where "the real party" is. The whole space is decorated with tiki torches and lights. There's even a stage to the left and a DJ next to it.

They end up in the middle of the crowd and while neither of their dancing skills are great. Kyungsoo still has a great time with Chanyeol's hands on his hips and his lips dangerously close to his ear. There's no doubt in Kyungsoo's mind that he'll be taking Chanyeol back to the hotel with him later tonight.

The music suddenly fades out and the lights turn out until the beach is only illuminated by the torches and the dimmed lights on the stage. Confused, Kyungsoo turns to see a dark figure on the stage. His eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, and he realizes it’s a shirtless guy wearing leather pants, his back muscular and his hair dark.

"It's half-past midnight, and you guys know what that means!" The DJ announces over the microphone. "Our favorite fire dancer and  _ cherry bomb _ , Kai!"

"Oh fuck, Kyungsoo, you gotta watch this," Chanyeol murmurs into his ear, and Kyungsoo looks to the stage as a sensual RnB track starts to play.

Kai slowly rises to his feet along with the rhythm and spreads his arm to reveal the instruments gripped there, lit with fire. With a beat, he turns around and starts swinging them, balls on chains that move the fire around him. As the light passes over his face and body, Kyungsoo can tell he's toned and his arms and chest are covered in tattoos, but the most noticeable is his face. Kai's eyes are covered with a lace blindfold, and his lips are painted a deep red color.

Instead of the dance being spectacular or awing, it's sensual and suggestive. He rolls his hips with ease and smirks, giving the screaming and drunk twinks what they want. Kyungsoo can't blame them though. He'd love to run his hands over those washboard abs, and even without seeing the rest of Kai's face, he knows he's handsome. There's even something familiar about him, but a tipsy Kyungsoo can't pinpoint it.

Entranced, the performance seems too short and ends as Kai sprawls out on the stage, throwing one of his instruments to the side and holding the other up high above his mouth. He sticks his tongue out lewdly, touching it to the flames before his painted lips blow it out.

The crowd goes wild, even Chanyeol who screams Kai's name. Kyungsoo is simply in shock as he watches Kai exit the stage, disappearing into the darkness before the club lights come back on, and the usual rave music starts back up. Now he definitely has a liking to Maui.

Chanyeol snickers at his wide-eyed and obviously aroused expression. "I know, right? No one knows who he is, but he's amazing. He performs like every other night, and it's always something different."

Kyungsoo takes one more look at the stage before he's dragged back into dancing with Chanyeol, fading into a mess of sweaty bodies, strobe lights, and pineapple beer.

 

His head is heavy and his mind groggy as he wakes up. Through the fog and throbbing headache, Kyungsoo can hear an incessant ringing by his ear. It takes him a moment or two to realize it's his phone, and he reaches out blindly to his nightstand, grabbing his phone and opening his eyes slightly to hit the answer button.

"Hello?" His voice is scratchy.

_ "Kyungsoo? Are you busy today?" _ It's Kyungri, and Kyungsoo sighs, burying his face further into his pillow.

“Mmm, no. What’s up?”

_ “...You went out last night, didn’t you?”  _ He can practically hear his sister rolling her eyes, and her tone is so sharp that he flinches, head throbbing.  _ “Ugh, it’s fine. Get over your headache, kick whatever girl out of your bed, and get up. I need you to watch Youngmi for the afternoon while Mom and I go shopping for some last minute things. Can you do that?” _

Kyungsoo groans. He doesn’t want to get up, much less actually have to function and look over a  _ child _ . But he’d get murdered in cold blood if he ever said no to his older sister. “Yes, what time?”

_ “I’m dropping her off at your room in thirty minutes.” _ Kyungri hangs up. The wedding stress must be getting to her too.

“I’m not a girl you know,” Chanyeol’s deep voice is rough and surprises Kyungsoo. He’d almost forgotten about that whole part of last night.

Opening his eyes, Kyungsoo sits up and rubs at them. He glances over to see Chanyeol buried in the sheets with wild bedhead next to him. “I’m not out to my family,” he replies, combing a hand through the tangled mess of curls atop Chanyeol’s head. “But you do need to leave.”

Chanyeol pouts but sits up as well. “Aww, okay. I did have fun last night though.”

“Me too,” Kyungsoo pats Chanyeol’s naked butt as he climbs out of the bed to put his clothes back on. He manages to snag Chanyeol’s number, and Chanyeol tells him to hit him up if he ever feels like having fun again. With finger guns ablaze, he leaves the hotel room, and Kyungsoo watches him go with a disapproving grimace.

In the remaining twenty-five minutes he has, Kyungsoo manages to shower and freshen up, tidying his room and soothing his headache with some late breakfast from room service. It’s when he’s finishing up and channel surfing on the T.V. that Kyungri arrives and drops off Youngmi, who’s happy to see her uncle as usual. He likes to think that he’s the cool uncle, but she probably just likes him because he only sees her once in a blue moon, and he always brings a new toy for her.

Until about noon, Youngmi is totally fine with coloring in some books she brought and watching morning cartoons. After that, Kyungsoo takes her out to the nearby McDonald’s though he knows Kyungri would disapprove, but Youngmi seems over the moon with her happy meal. And instead of playing in the germ-infested play place, they take her little bucket and shovel, along with an umbrella, towels, and some sunscreen, and walk over to the beach.

Impressed with his work before, Youngmi asks him to help her make a big sandcastle, and they quickly get to work. Youngmi fills up the bucket with sand while Kyungsoo starts to dig a big circle because no castle is complete without a moat around it.

“Uncle!” Youngmi says and thinking that she’s filled the bucket, he holds a hand out without looking. But instead she hits his hand with the little plastic shovel. 

“Youngmi?” Kyungsoo turns around in confusion, eyes squinting due to the sun.

Youngmi points to the person standing next to her. “Him want you.” Veiling his eyes with a hand, Kyungsoo belatedly realizes it’s Jongin, Mr. Hot Surfer. 

“Hey,” Jongin smiles and waves. “I happened to see you when I was walking by.” He looks the same as when Kyungsoo first met him, only he’s wearing sunglasses and a hawaiian shirt that’s unbuttoned. Kyungsoo tries his hardest to not look at his abs.

“Oh, hey,” Kyungsoo chuckles. “Sorry, I was too focused on our sandcastle. How have you been?”

“Great!” Jongin replies, taking a seat in the sand next to Kyungsoo. “Wondering why you haven’t called me up yet.” He raises a brow.

Kyungsoo is about to reply, but Youngmi cuts him off. “Who are you?” She asks Jongin bluntly.

He snickers at how Jongin’s eyes go wide at the accusatory tone, but he quickly recovers and smiles at her. “I’m Jongin, your uncle’s friend. What’s your name?”

“Youngmi.” The three year old eyes him warily, taking in his tattoos and piercings. “You help Uncle build the castle. I watch.” She hands Jongin the shovel.

Kyungsoo and Jongin exchange silent looks as Youngmi walks over to sit under the umbrella, putting on her ladybug sunglasses and pulling on her little kid tablet from the bag Kyungsoo brought.

“I...love her,” Jongin admits with a giggle. “She’s badass.”

“She’ll make a great businesswoman one day,” Kyungsoo agrees, going back to his digging of the trench. He isn’t sure why he’s still building the castle or why Jongin is helping out, but they start doing Youngmi’s bidding anyways. Jongin works on filling up the bucket tightly with sand, and Kyungsoo assembles.

As Jongin is packing in sand for his second castle, he asks, “So why didn’t you call me?”

Kyungsoo looks at him, spotting Jongin’s brown eyes from behind his sunglasses. “Were you waiting for me to?” He replies, tilting his head teasingly.

It must’ve caught Jongin off-guard as his hand momentarily stops, and he clears his throat. “Uh, well…” Jongin toys with the sand beneath his palm. “Maybe...?” He admits with a sheepish smile.

“Oh, well honestly I was a little busy and forgot,” Kyungsoo says with a smile of his own, secretly over the moon that Jongin is actually interested in him too.

“I see that.” Jongin chuckles and points to a purpling mark just under Kyungsoo’s jaw, and Kyungsoo instantly covers it with a hand. He must’ve sweat off the makeup he put on. “Rough night?”

“Ah, um, I went clubbing.” Kyungsoo curses inwardly at himself. Probably not great to show the guy you’re interested in a hickey from someone else.

Jongin grins. “So did I.”

They continue to build up the sandcastle, even going as far as to draw windows and doors. The final touches are some seashells that Youngmi picks up on the shore and water to go into the moat. And to no one’s surprise, once they finally relax and look at their hard work, Youngmi decides that she’s a dragon and starts to stomp it all away. Jongin laughs and joins in, roaring with her. It’s a really cute sight, and Youngmi becomes attached to him from then on, even begging him to take her out to the tide and hold her hand.

“Why do you got paintings all over you, Jongnini?” Youngmi asks as the three of them stand in the water, a hand in Jongin’s and Kyungsoo’s.

“They’re tattoos. You can touch if you want.” Having already taken off his shirt, Jongin bends down to her height. Amazed and probably having never seen a tattoo in her life, Youngmi touches his shoulder blade with wide eyes. The tattoo she pokes and prods is a pair of black ballet slippers, laces wound together, and something written in a language Kyungsoo doesn’t know below it.

“Shoes!” Youngmi exclaims. “Why?”

Jongin smiles sweetly at her. “They’re ballet slippers, and beneath it says  _ ‘My dance is my life. _ ’ I was a ballerina.”

“Really? That’s so cool!” Kyungsoo has to agree with her. He had no idea Jongin was a dancer, but then again it suits him. Kyungsoo can easily picture him in tights and doing pirouettes or whatever they’re called.

“Do you still do ballet?” Kyungsoo asks, curious.

Jongin shakes his head sadly. “Nah, it requires a lot of practice and skill. I ended up being more interested in hip hop and other modern dance, but it was my first dance, so I like to remember it.” He reaches a hand back to pet the tattoo himself with a reminiscent smile.

“What about the tiger?” Kyungsoo points to the colorful tattoo of a tiger surrounded by blooming flowers.

Jongin shrugs and laughs. “I just think it looks cool.”

They go back to relax under the umbrella, and Kyungsoo notices once he’s finished reapplying sunscreen that Youngmi’s passed out on the towel, her tablet still playing kid’s music next to her. She definitely tired herself out after running across the beach and yelling at Jongin and Kyungsoo to come catch her.

“Asleep?” Jongin asks, and Kyungsoo turns his head to see him lounging and sunbathing with a soft smile.

“Mhm. We should probably head back soon. My sister told me that she’ll be back in an hour or so.”

“Wedding planning?” Jongin guesses.

“The wedding is tomorrow actually,” Kyungsoo says, looking down at the sand and smiling a little solemnly. “I’m Seungsoo’s best man.”

Jongin turns his head. “Are you jealous?” he asks bluntly. 

Kyungsoo wants to say no, but he nods. He isn’t sure why he’s so bitter because Seungsoo is his older brother, so of course he would get married first. But then again it isn’t just Seungsoo. Almost all of Kyungsoo’s friends and colleagues his age have tied the knot or at least in long committed relationships. It’s something Kyungsoo hasn’t had in a long time. It doesn’t help that every time he hears the news that it reminds him of the public relationship he could never have. No wedding he could have would ever be this big and supported by his family.

“I’ve been alone for a while. My last relationship must have been when I was in college,” Kyungsoo recalls. “My mom is actually considering finding a bride for me and getting an arranged marriage, but that’s worse than being alone.” He frowns bitterly and so does Jongin.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I haven’t had much luck in the love department either.” Jongin smiles, and Kyungsoo can see his eyes crinkle up behind his sunglasses.

Scoffing, Kyungsoo moves to pinch his ear playfully. “Shut up, you’re four years younger than me!” Jongin only giggles in response.

They lounge a little more before waking up a pouty Youngmi. Jongin helps them pack up and even offers to walk Kyungsoo back to the hotel, so he ends up carrying Youngmi piggyback as Kyungsoo leads them back to the hotel. Sleepy Youngmi asks tons of curious questions to her  _ Jongnini, _ mostly asking why he has metal in his face and saying the piercings in his ears are pretty but  _ not  _ the one in his nose because he looks like a bull. It only makes Jongin laugh, high-pitched and giggly as ever.

Once they stop to say goodbye at the hotel entrance, but before Jongin leaves he tells Kyungsoo to text him tonight to help him “shake out those best man jitters.” Kyungsoo snorts but promises that he will.

But when he gets back to his room there’s already a text from Jongin.

_ ‘sorry i couldn’t wait to text you. i had a great time with you today! <3’ _

It’s such a cute text that it leaves Kyungsoo smiling to himself for the remainder of the day. 

 

Seungsoo and Yuri’s wedding is as picturesque and beautiful as one can imagine a multi-million dollar event. The white sand beach is the perfect scene as they exchange vows, and Kyungsoo watches his brother get choked up in a rare moment with a smile. He’s so happy for them and everyone cheers as they follow the newly married couple inside the resort villa for the reception.

Kyungsoo is happy, but as he watches them dance and even after once everyone joins in, and he sits alone at a table, he can only feel envious and lonely. He was the only man up there that didn’t bring a date, and even if he had tried, he wouldn’t have been accepted. He debates leaving early and faking illness, but he knows he can’t put a damper on Seungsoo’s big night.

So he tries to enjoy himself, drinking a little to get buzzed, and before he knows it Seungsoo and Yuri are heading out to their honeymoon to some rental villa of their own, away from family. Kyungsoo manages to slip away after that, pulling out his phone and texting Jongin quickly.

_ ‘Are you free? Wedding’s over, and I’m feeling lonely.’ _

_ ‘sure! wanna come over to my place? :)’ _

Kyungsoo raises his brows at that. He didn’t know he was at  _ that  _ level with Jongin yet, but with a shrug he types a quick reply and hails a taxi.

_ ‘Send me your address.’ _

The trip to Jongin’s place is short, and it ends up leading him to a small beach house, painted an aged yellow with flower baskets at each window and a little plaque that reads “The Kim’s.” He honestly didn’t expect Jongin to be the type to live with his parents, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Adjusting his suit, he knocks on the door and waits.

It’s Jongin who answers, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. His hair is mussed and his eyes are a little sleepy, more than usual that is. It is almost midnight after all; Kyungsoo had forgotten.

“...Did I wake you up?” Kyungsoo frowns.

Jongin grins and shakes his head, rubbing his eye with one hand. “Ah, yeah, I was sleeping, but it’s fine. I wanted to see you. Come on in.” He opens the door wider to let Kyungsoo in, motioning him to take off his shoes. 

Kyungsoo looks around to see that the interior is as old and homey as the outside of the house. It’s small too, but not in a suffocating way. It’s homey, more than Kyungsoo’s huge home back in Seoul was growing up. Jongin leads him down the skinny hallway, floorboards squeaking, and into a small kitchen. The floors are old linoleum and the cabinets a faded yellow. An older woman with gray hair tied into a bun stands at the sink but turns around once she hears them approach, and just by her face Kyungsoo knows this is Jongin’s mother. He bows to her.

“Is this your friend, Jongin? I didn’t expect him to look so nice!” His mother laughs, and Jongin pouts. 

Kyungsoo smiles at her. “I just got back from my brother’s wedding, Mrs. Kim. I’m Jongin’s friend, Do Kyungsoo.”

“Well, congratulations to you and your family, Kyungsoo,” she says as she dries her hands off with a towel. “It’s nice to meet a new friend of Jongin’s.” Mrs. Kim grabs Jongin by the arm and pulls him down to kiss her son on the cheek. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone. Goodnight!” She snickers at her son’s embarrassed grumbles and disappears into the back room of the house.

“I like her already.” Kyungsoo grins as Jongin rolls his eyes, motioning for Kyungsoo to sit down at the small kitchen table.

“She likes to embarrass me.” Jongin sighs as he turns to one of the cabinets, opening it and taking out two shot glasses before grabbing a couple bottles of soju. He grins at Kyungsoo as he sets the items down on the table and takes a seat next to him. “I thought you might be needing a drink or two.”

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo says as Jongin pours them each a shot. They clink their glasses before shooting it down, each letting out a sigh after the burn of alcohol.

“How was the wedding?” Jongin asks after a couple shots.

“It was really nice and beautiful.” Kyungsoo toys with his empty shot glass, staring at the wooden table top. “I mean, it didn’t help my never ending loneliness, but it was nice.” He smiles self-deprecatingly.

“Aww, maybe you should’ve brought along a date,” Jongin suggests, raising his eyebrows. It’s then that Kyungsoo notices that he isn’t wearing some of his piercings, the ones in his ears and nose missing. It makes him look a little softer and younger in a way in the dim light of the kitchen.

Jongin notices his stare and chuckles, resting an elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. “See something you like?” His smirk is flirtatious.

“Oh, it’s just that I noticed you didn’t have your piercings in.” Kyungsoo takes another shot to distract himself from how good Jongin looked just then - and how his eyes not-so-subtly lowered to Kyungsoo’s lips.

“Yeah, I don’t wear them when I sleep.” Jongin’s face is already turning pink. He must have a low tolerance, and it amuses Kyungsoo as Jongin pours himself another. He didn’t expect that Jongin intended on getting tipsy in his own home.

“Why’d you get them?” Kyungsoo asks out of curiosity.

Jongin shrugs. “Do you want the short version or the long meaningful one?”

Interested, Kyungsoo says, “Give me the long one.”

Jongin sighs and leans back. "Well, my dad died when I was really young, like two or three, so it's just my mom who's raised me all these years. She had to work all the time to keep us alive, and I was alone." He laughs and smiles sheepishly. "I went through like a rebellious phase in high school and got some piercings and bleached my hair and all that. Dancing and surfing rounded me out though. Got rid of that punk ass attitude."

Kyungsoo couldn't ever imagine getting away with rebelling. His upbringing was rather tightly molded, going to an expensive school and being taught the business from a young age. There was no room for rebelling or trying to go outside the box.

"I was never...able to do that," Kyungsoo admits, staring down at his glass. "I wish I could've though. I might know more about myself."

There is a short pause of silence, and Jongin's hand moves closer to brush up against his own on the table, tattooed fingers intertwining with his. Kyungsoo turns his head as Jongin moves closer, breath smelling of soju. Kyungsoo's breathing stops and his mind short circuits as Jongin murmurs with half-lidded eyes, "It's never too late to rebel, Kyungsoo."

He can barely register what's happening before Jongin's lips press against his, sure and sweet. This feels different from the kisses he's received from flings or one night stands. It has Kyungsoo surging forward and wanting more. Jongin starts to pull away, but Kyungsoo fists a hand in his t-shirt and pulls him closer, tasting soju and salt.

When Jongin deepens the kiss, he pushes his tongue in, and Kyungsoo is suddenly reminded of the fact that Jongin has a piercing there. He shivers at the feeling of the little silver ball brushing up against his tastebuds. It adds something new to the mix, and Kyungsoo moans. Jongin's lips are so plush and soft and feel so good against his own.

Panting, they eventually part, cheeks flushed and a string of saliva connecting their mouths, which Jongin breaks and then giggles.

"Well, damn," he breathes. "I thought you were gay, but I couldn't imagine you were attracted to me too."

"Are you kidding me?" Kyungsoo blinks, completely stooped. "I've been staring at you since we met!"

“...I thought it just looked that way because you have those wide eyes, you know?” Jongin cocks his head to the side innocently, obviously trying to hold in laughter which quickly breaks, and he starts giggling just as Kyungsoo moves to hit him on the shoulder several times. 

He can’t stop laughing afterwards, and Kyungsoo figures that he must’ve hit his limit, so he caps the remaining bottle and goes to put it back in the fridge. “I think you need to drink some water and lie down, Mr. Lightweight.”

Jongin pouts and lowers himself to rest his hot cheek on the cool surface of the table. “‘M not a lightweight. Mom just buys the strong stuff.”

Kyungsoo snorts as he manages to find a glass and fill it with water from the tap. He saw the label, and he’s no fool. “Sure, sure. Where’s your room? Let’s go there.”

“Ooooooh,” Jongin snickers as he stands up, a little wobbly. “Do you wanna get it on?”

Rolling his eyes, Kyungsoo follows him into a door just across from the kitchen that’s covered in faded, torn stickers and has a fake Hawaiian license plate reading Jongin’s name. Inside, it’s small, and Kyungsoo guesses this has been Jongin’s room his whole life. Once Jongin turns on a lamp, Kyungsoo can see that the walls are a dark blue and on the opposite wall is a full bed covered in gray sheets and an old quilt, but there are little childlike nuances throughout, like the glow-in-the-dark stars still stuck to the ceiling and a shelf of trophies and some Pokémon figurines.

Jongin flops down onto his bed face-first, shirt riding up to show his slim waist. His feet dangle off the bed due to his height. He must remember that Kyungsoo’s there too, and he cutely rolls over until he’s against the wall and then pats the empty space next to him with a grin.

Kyungsoo takes a seat, hearing the old springs groan, and hands Jongin the glass of water. “Drink.”

He obediently does so, sitting up and holding the cup with both hands. A tipsy Jongin is a cute Jongin apparently. Once he’s downed at least half the water, Jongin sets it on the nightstand and goes back to lying down.

"Hey," Jongin murmurs, suddenly calm. "Do you really want to...do this? Being in a relationship with me?"

Kyungsoo turns away from looking at Jongin's dancing trophies when a warm hand moves to hold his. Smiling softly, he squeezes Jongin's hand once. "I think that's more of a question for you. I'll only be here for a week and a half, and I'm not out to my family."

"I figured." Jongin's eyes are droopy. "We can try though. Nothing wrong with that."

"Alright. I can do that." Kyungsoo nods to himself, feeling happy and trying to quell a grin.

A few more minutes pass, and Jongin's eyes slowly close, his breathing deepening. Thinking that he's fallen asleep, Kyungsoo moves to leave and excuse himself back to the hotel, but Jongin's grip is strong and pulls him back by his hand.

" _ You can stay, _ " he mumbles in English without thinking. " _ Sleep 'ere. _ "

"I shouldn't..." Kyungsoo hesitates, though the space next to Jongin is tantalizing.

Jongin lets out a whine and tugs on Kyungsoo's hand again, and that has him giving in. With a sigh, he sheds his suit, knowing Jongin isn't paying attention to his nearly naked form. He turns off the lamp and then fills the space next to Jongin, quickly ensnared in his muscular arms.

Kyungsoo falls asleep with a smile. He feels like he can truly let go around Jongin.

 

The morning comes quicker than he wants. Waking up to Jongin's sleeping face should be one of the seven wonders of the world, but Kyungsoo can't bask in pouty lips and long eyelashes once he checks his phone and sees that his parents want him to go to lunch with them and go boating afterwards. Refusing would just bring up questions that he doesn't want to answer, so Kyungsoo replies to the text and then gets up.

Jongin wakes up as he's getting dressed. "Leaving already?" He asks in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah, my parents have plans." Kyungsoo frowns as he buckles his belt. "I wish I could stay longer."

"It's okay." Jongin offers a sleepy smile. "You just gotta kiss me goodbye. Mom's out at work, so don't worry about her."

Kyungsoo chuckles and leans down to kiss Jongin on the cheek and then the lips, lingering there a little. Jongin tries to goad him on for more, but Kyungsoo pulls away. "Another time."

Jongin pouts but acquiesces, lying back down. "Text me later, okay?"

Kyungsoo promises that he will and then heads out. By some miracle, he manages to sneak back into his hotel room without being seen by his parents or family. Judging by his father's text, he doubts they even thought that he slept somewhere else last night. They don't seem suspicious of him either when they go out to a seafood restaurant for lunch. His mother gushes about the wedding and how she already misses Seungsoo and Yuri. Kyungsoo envies them; they got to escape the madness that is his mother.

His father rents a boat, and the captain takes them out to the reefs to go snorkeling. Don't tell Jongin, but Kyungsoo already likes this more than surfing. He goes in the water once or twice, but he mostly relaxes on the deck, enjoying the nice weather as he and Jongin text back and forth. Kyungsoo dodges his mother's questions about who it is by saying it's Baekhyun asking for business advice.

They eat dinner on the boat, complimentary of the boat service, before returning to shore around evening. Tired, Kyungsoo returns to his room and takes a shower. As he's drying his hair, he types another text to Jongin.

_ 'Do you want to do something tonight?' _

It takes Jongin ten minutes to respond.

_ 'sorry :( i have work at my second job tonight. go have fun without me! paint the town red, old man!' _

Kyungsoo snorts at his response, though he is a little sad. He'd been looking forward for another chance to see his new boyfriend, but he supposes he can wait until tomorrow since they've planned to go surfing then (Jongin's idea). So instead, Kyungsoo decides he can probably go visit  _ The Fisher's Catch _ again without the intention of getting laid.

He texts Chanyeol - clarifying that he has a boyfriend and just out for drinks - and the guy quickly responds and says he was planning on going to the club anyways.

 

Luckily, when Kyungsoo arrives and meets Chanyeol by the bar he notices that he came with a group this time. He didn't think that it would be awkward with just Chanyeol, but you never know. They all seem nice and queer, though a few speak sloppy Korean, but Kyungsoo can close the gaps with English. He gets along especially well with an aro guy named Minseok as the rest of the group is pretty loud, but Minseok is quiet. He owns a bank back in Seoul too, so Kyungsoo can relate to a fellow businessman.

They talk about business in Seoul amongst themselves at the bar before Chanyeol and the group drag them out to the beach. It's then that Kyungsoo remembers the amazing fire dancer  from the other night and wonders aloud if Kai is going to perform again.

"He performs most nights," Minseok answers. "He's a favorite here with his sensual performances. I think there would be a riot if he didn't."

"Is his identity really a secret?" Kyungsoo asks.

Minseok nods and takes another sip of his rum and coke. "There's a lot of regular performers, but he's the only one that goes by an alias. He's always blindfolded too and wears red lipstick, hence  _ Cherry Bomb _ . Some think he's closeted, others think he's shy." He shrugs. "I think it's just a concept.”

Kyungsoo himself isn’t sure what to make of it, but he knows Kai is just a damn good dancer. It makes him wonder if Jongin knows him or if Jongin ever comes to this club. Pulling out his phone, he starts to type out a text to Jongin, but the lights go out and the music dies down. “Is it starting?” he asks Minseok, putting his phone away.

“Yeah.” Minseok has his eyes trained on the stage immediately. "Looks like he isn't alone either."

Kyungsoo follows his gaze to see two figures on the stage. The lights slowly illuminate to a dim as their instruments are lit with fire. People start to scream and yell, and Kyungsoo can understand why. Kai stands there, looking sensual as ever with his blindfold and red lips, and he holds what looks like two hand fans with fire at the tips, but Kyungsoo's eyes are trained on the black booty shorts he wears with tassels at the hip. Next to Kai is a woman dressed in a black leather bikini, and she holds the same fans. Due to the screams around him, Kyungsoo assumes she is Krystal.

The music starts up and instead of a slow, sensual beat, it's an American pop song, although also suggestive and sexual. The dance turns up the heat too, not only with the fire but with their bodies. While Kyungsoo hadn't really paid attention to Kai's body last time, it turns out he has a nice ass, only accentuated by his tight leather shorts. There are tattoos on his thighs too, and Kyungsoo has to squint to see them and realizes they're twin tattoos meant to look like lace garters.

Kai turns around in the bridge of the song, a slow moment, and he bends over with his ass to the crowd in front of Krystal. With a smirk, she crosses the fans in her hands and slowly grazes them an inch from his back and down his ass and thighs. The lights flash bright, fully illuminating them both for a split second, before it dims again, and in that moment Kyungsoo freezes. The tattoo on Kai's shoulder blade.

He wonders if he's seen wrong for the remainder of the dance number, but after Kai does an impressive split at the end of the song and the lights go back to normal, Kyungsoo can spot him as he walks off the stage. He can clearly see his back and the pair of ballet slippers there.

His heart palpitates. Jongin. Kai is Jongin. Jongin is Kai.  _ This  _ is Jongin's second job? God, it was so obvious! Without even thinking, Kyungsoo sprints through the crowd to try to reach him, but he loses Kai/Jongin in an instant. It makes Kyungsoo grimace and curse under his breath.

Well, at least he can't feel guilty about being attracted to Kai.

 

Kyungsoo walks into  _ Momo’s Surf Supply _ just before noon as planned. He carries with him not the passion for surfing but the anger of being lied to by his boyfriend of just two days. However, said anger fizzles out the moment Jongin turns around from waxing his surfboard and smiles as he sees Kyungsoo standing there.

“Hey, Kyungsoo.” Jongin walks over and draws him forward to kiss him on the lips. He looks so happy and kisses him so sweetly that Kyungsoo can’t be mad anymore. “I missed you.”

Staring at his lips and remembering that they were a deep red last night, Kyungsoo says, “Me too.”

He’s unsure of when to ask about last night, momentarily forgetting as Jongin helps him wax his board again, this time pressing fully against him and purposely getting him riled up. Jongin is so charming that they end up walking all the way to the beach before he remembers.

“So, what did you end up doing last night?” Jongin asks, and Kyungsoo side-eyes him to see him smiling slyly. God-fucking-dammit, he  _ knows  _ that Kyungsoo knows.

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo smiles thinly at him. “Where’s your second job?”

Jongin turns and stares at him, long enough that Kyungsoo starts to lose his nerve, but then he bursts out into laughter, doubling over himself. It makes Kyungsoo glare at him, cheeks pink. Yeah, maybe it did take him a long time to ask that question.

“Finally!” Jongin straightens up at wipes a tear from the corner of his eye, breathless. “I was waiting for you to say something! I thought after you went to the club the first time that you would realize.”

“I-It was dark!” Kyungsoo defends. “Besides, I barely knew you then.  _ You  _ should’ve told  _ me _ , being my boyfriend and all.” He pokes Jongin in the chest.

Jongin pouts cutely. “Are you really angry at me? I’m sorry.” He draws Kyungsoo close and kisses his temple.

Kyungsoo can’t maintain his angry expression and sighs, leaning into Jongin. “No, I’m not. I’m actually more impressed. You’re dancing is just…”

“Sexy?” Jongin supplies for him, waggling his eyebrows and earning a punch in the shoulder from Kyungsoo. “Thank you though. My uncle started teaching me fire dancing when I was young. He’d probably have a heart attack if he saw the way I portray it though.” He chuckles.

“It was really hot,” Kyungsoo says honestly. “Do you really have those tattoos on your thighs?”

With a smirk, Jongin puts his board down before lifting up one leg of his swim trunks, revealing a shaved thigh and one tattooed garter. “It’s far up enough that people only see them when I want them to.”

“Damn,” is all Kyungsoo can say, his mouth suddenly dry.

Jongin straightens back up and claps Kyungsoo on the back. “Don’t get too starry-eyed. We still have to surf!” With a grin, he grabs his surfboard and runs off towards the water, yelling for Kyungsoo to come catch him.

Rolling his eyes, Kyungsoo runs after him with a smile on his face.

 

“So why do you do the whole anonymous thing?”

Jongin looks up from his phone as they walk along the street. It’s currently eleven at night, and Kyungsoo has been personally invited to watch Jongin’s performance this time at the club. He won’t tell Kyungsoo what this performance looks like, but from the items he saw Jongin packing into his bag, Kyungsoo is already excited.

“You mean the stage name and blindfold?” Kyungsoo nods, and Jongin shrugs in response. “Well, when I first started dancing there a couple years ago, I wasn’t really confident - about me or my sexuality. I felt more confident knowing that I could just pretend to be someone else, y’know? Not just Kim Jongin, the kid who dropped out of high school and started working at a surf shop, but I was Kai, the cool dancer.” He smiles to himself.

Kyungsoo blinks. “You...dropped out of high school?”

Frowning, Jongin nods. “I didn’t want to, but Mom and I needed the money. I couldn’t work two jobs while in school, so I dropped out.”

“Oh.” Feeling privileged, Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Jongin smiles gently. “Mom and I are doing better now. The club pays me well.”

Approaching the club, they split, and Kyungsoo waves goodbye to Jongin, who enters the club from the back entrance while Kyungsoo waits in line. He meets up with Minseok once he gets inside, who's sitting at the outdoor tiki bar. Jongdae is there too, but he's not on the job and introduces himself as Minseok's fuckbuddy and best friend.

"Didn't expect you to come two nights in the row," Minseok says.

Kyungsoo shrugs. "My boyfriend asked me to come."

"Boyfriend?" Jongdae raises his straight brows and looks around Kyungsoo comically. "Where?"

"He works here," Kyungsoo answers simply, taking a sip of his drink. It's some mixed drink that was on special.

"Oh, really?" Jongdae's eyes widen. "Who?"

Hesitating, Kyungsoo decides to say, "Jongin."

Both Minseok and Jongdae look confused but shrug, concluding that they probably just don't know him. It isn't much longer that Jongin's performance starts, and they turn around in their bar stools to watch the stage. Instead of the stage lights going dim though, they stay fully lit, allowing the audience to see everything.

To Kyungsoo's surprise, Jongin isn't holding any sort of fire and neither are the two other dancers with him, both men. On the stage, Jongin is wearing his lipstick and blindfold and is dressed in a black mesh shirt - fully exposing his nipple piercings - and leather pants, and on his neck sits a plain black choker. He sits on a table while the other two guys stand on either side, dressed in black outfits. When the music starts, Kyungsoo actually recognizes it as a Kpop song.

Sensual seems to be Jongin's style as he slides and lounges across the table to meet one of the dancer's, their lips nearly touching. The rest of the dance is both fierce and sexy, Jongin's hands sliding down his body, and the other dancers touching his arms, his waist. Just knowing that that man is currently his has Kyungsoo's toes curling in his toes and goosebumps raising on his arms.

By the time the performance is over, Kyungsoo feels warm and thoroughly dazed. He excuses himself from Minseok and Jongdae, who call after him and laugh about him being a Kai fan. Little do they know, he is much more than that.

Earlier, Jongin had told him where the dressing rooms are on the second floor of the club, and when Kyungsoo walks up the staircase to where a bouncer is, Jongin is standing there waiting for him, sweaty and smiling. Seeing him up close, dressed up and wearing makeup with the blindfold still over his eyes, Kyungsoo is momentarily stunned by how Jongin seems to glow even in the low light of the club.

Jongin's sweaty hand grabs his, and he wordlessly leads Kyungsoo back to his dressing room, the last one on the hall. Tugging Kyungsoo inside, the door closes behind him and then he's pushed against it, Jongin's lips pressing against his, hot and heady. The kiss easily turns demanding, Jongin turning Kyungsoo into putty in minutes.

Kyungsoo's hands slide into Jongin's hair, ripping off the blindfold easily and pressing his body against Jongin's. The dancer grabs his hips and slowly grinds against him, making Kyungsoo moan into their wet kiss. He can feel Jongin's forming erection rubbing up to his own.

Their lips part, and Jongin can hardly catch his breath as Kyungsoo pushes him back to the couch behind them until he's lying down on the length of it. Kyungsoo's lips are smeared with Jongin's lipstick, and it's somehow arousing as he straddles Jongin's hips. His hands move to untuck Jongin's sheer shirt from his pants and pushes it up his chest, locking eyes with Jongin for permission before placing his hands on his chest and tracing his abs with a hungry gaze.

"You were so hot," Kyungsoo breathes. " _ Gashina _ ? Really?"

Jongin groans. "My friend Sehun's idea."

"It suits you really well." Kyungsoo leans down to kiss him again as his fingers slide up to rub Jongin's nipples, feeling him jolt and moan beneath him. He's more responsive compared to others Kyungsoo's been with, and he wonders if the piercings made Jongin more sensitive there.

Jongin is free to be vocal as Kyungsoo's lips trail down to his neck and his hand moves to pet his crotch, feeling Jongin's decent package through his leather pants.

It's only when Kyungsoo lowers to suck and kiss his nipples that Jongin bucks up into his hand and moans wantonly. Kyungsoo glances up to see his cheeks flushed and his lips parted, the red lipstick smeared slightly. Jongin looks at him with heavy-lidded eyes and an expression he can only describe as smoldering.

Kyungsoo doesn't think he's gonna last tonight at all.

 

A week passes easily. Kyungsoo bypasses family events to spend time with his boyfriend. He mentions Jongin a few times, and his father just thinks it's nice that he "made a friend." He doubts he would approve if Kyungsoo confessed that they had been doing more than just catching waves all day. Jongin actually has a lot of fun showing Kyungsoo around the island and the unique parts of it that tourists tend to not know about.

It's cute when he takes Kyungsoo up to a cliff over the ocean and pulls out a nice little picnic from his bag. The more Kyungsoo gets to know Jongin, the more he realizes the sexy, sensual Kai is a small fraction. After the night at the club, they haven't gone further than just superficial handjobs, and Jongin admits that he's someone who likes to take it slow, despite his appearance that may say otherwise. It doesn't bother Kyungsoo at all, and he thinks it's sweet and different from other relationships he's been in.

"Do you want to come over to my place tonight?" Jongin suddenly asks him from behind the counter of the surf shop. His soft tone has Kyungsoo looking up from the surf magazine he's perusing. For some reason he looks hesitant, toying with a pen on the table.

"Yeah, sure. I can make an excuse to get out of my family's yacht party. What's up with the face?" Kyungsoo blinks. He's been to Jongin's house a few times now.

"Well, my mom will actually be home this time." Jongin rubs his ear in a sheepish fashion. "I...I told her that you were my boyfriend, and now she wants to properly meet you over dinner. I tried to say no, but she insisted...sorry..." He laughs nervously.

"Don't be sorry." Kyungsoo puts his magazine down with a smile and gets up from his chair to take a seat on Jongin's lap. "I've actually wanted to meet her. She's important to you."

Jongin loops his arms around Kyungsoo's waist. "You sure?"

Kyungsoo nods and pecks him on the lips, making Jongin smile. "I'm sure. You can't scare me off that easily."

He stays with Jongin at the surf shop until five o'clock and calls his parents, pretending he doesn't feel well and is gonna return to his room to rest. They buy it without question, and he follows Jongin back home after he closes up shop. Jongin seems anxious but in a cute way, holding Kyungsoo's hand and furrowing his brow. Kyungsoo squeezes his hand, and he visibly relaxes.

The little yellow house is a welcoming place to Kyungsoo now, and when they walk in Jongin's mother is in the kitchen, the familiar smell of marinara and oregano reaching Kyungsoo's nose. His stomach growls, and Jongin chuckles.

"Um, Mom, I brought Kyungsoo," Jongin says, catching her attention away from the stove.

She turns around with a bright smile and bows to him. "It's nice to see you again, Kyungsoo. Dinner's just about ready. Why don't you set the table, Jongin?"

"Yes, Mom." Jongin moves to one of the drawers as Kyungsoo takes a seat at the table. The silverware and plates are old and mismatched, but it makes him smile. Their house holds so much character that it's charming.

Minutes later, Mrs. Kim comes over with a big bowl of spaghetti with a grin. "I hope you like spaghetti, Kyungsoo!"

Kyungsoo chuckles. "Yes, I do. Thank you."

Jongin takes a seat next to him, and they begin to eat. It's been so long since Kyungsoo had a home cooked meal, and he instantly sheds compliments. It's like he can taste the love that Mrs. Kim put into it - a mother's touch that he's never had in a meal. Growing up, it was always restaurants or whatever his live-in nanny made.

"So what do you do, Kyungsoo?" Mrs. Kim asks. "Jongin said you were a businessman."

"Ah, well, I am the CEO of the Tokyo branch of my father's company actually." Kyungsoo wipes his mouth with a napkin.

Her eyes go wide, and she shoots Jongin an accusatory look. " _ 'Just a businessman,' _ huh?"

Jongin offers her a pout, his lips tinged red with marinara sauce. It's a cute look that Kyungsoo's gotten used to seeing when Jongin doesn't get his way. "I just didn't want you to go all crazy, okay?"

She rolls her eyes and points her fork in Jongin's direction. "I would  _ not _ . I would just be very impressed, and I am." Mrs. Kim smiles sweetly at Kyungsoo. "For once, Jongin's made a good catch."

Kyungsoo snorts and almost chokes on his food while Jongin blushes. "'For once?'"

"Mom has high standards," Jongin mumbles, and Mrs. Kim raises her hand with a threat to hit him, causing him to shrink away.

"Shush! I would just like someone who is  _ not  _ several years older, super buff, or looks like they just came from some rock'n'roll rave," she scoffs.

"No one calls it rock'n'roll anymore," Jongin mumbles, and his mother curses and this time grabs his ear and yanks. Kyungsoo can't help but laugh at the scene. Rather than angry, their bickering is playful and loving. He can tell that Jongin and his mother are really close, and it's touching. Kyungsoo enjoys the rest of his spaghetti with a smile on his face.

Jongin finishes two platefuls with ease, leaning back in his chair and patting his tummy with a sigh. He still has some marinara on the corner of his lips, but it's so cute that Kyungsoo resists telling him. "I'm gonna use the bathroom," he states after a pause, standing up and disappearing into the door next to his bedroom.

Kyungsoo watches him go and then turns back to see Mrs. Kim regarding him with a genuine smile. He gets a little nervous until she reaches forward to place a hand on his.

"I'm really glad Jongin has you," she says softly. "This is the first time I've seen him so nervous to introduce me to someone, and I think that means that he's serious about you. I can tell that you're serious about him too."

"I am," Kyungsoo replies with complete sincerity.

Her smile widens, and she lowers her eyes to the table. "Jongin is my baby, my miracle. His father and I were older when we met and got married. I was at an age where they told me that carrying a child could be risky. We tried for so long. I even had a miscarriage, but by some miracle, Jongin was born. Completely healthy too.

"I feel sorry that he's struggled all these years. We sure haven't had it easy, but lately he's seemed so happy. He talks about you all the time, Kyungsoo." She laughs. "I'm glad he's found a nice man like you."

Speechless and completely touched, Kyungsoo can only say, "Th-Thank you." He bows his head to her. "I'll do my best to make him happy."

She squeezes his hand once. "I know you will."

Jongin exits the bathroom shortly after, and Mrs. Kim sends Kyungsoo a wink as she stands up to put the dishes in the sink. Being the good son that he is, Jongin shoos her away and starts to clean them. Kyungsoo gets up to help.

"Why don't you two head out and do something fun?" Mrs. Kim suggests once they're finished from her seat on the couch. "I doubt you can have much fun cooped up in this little house."

Jongin frowns. "But your back--" She had been holding her back earlier when she went to sit down.

She waves a hand. "Don't worry about me. I've seen all I need to see. I approve."

Jongin blinks, once then twice. It must be the first time he's heard that because a second later he's grinning. "Thanks, Mom."

"Now get out of here before I kick you out!" Mrs. Kim threatens, raising a fist. It only takes a minute for Jongin to grab his keys, phone, and wallet before dragging Kyungsoo out the door with him.

 

They end up going to Kyungsoo's hotel room, not feeling up to doing anything more than watching a movie on his laptop and cuddling on his bed. It's innocent at first, Jongin demanding to be the little spoon despite his long legs, and Kyungsoo has no problem paying attention to the action film. But then Jongin complains of being hot and takes off his shirt and suddenly Kyungsoo has direct contact with hot, tan skin.

He traces a finger over the tattoos on Jongin's arm, watching him shudder and his nipples perk up. "I love these," Kyungsoo murmurs, moving his hand to tweak one of the cute pierced buds.

Jongin sighs, eyelids lowering. "I love when you touch them. You're the first person I've been with since I got them."

Kyungsoo kisses his shoulder, his free hand wiggling underneath Jongin to toy with his other nipple as the other slides down to his hip, tugging lightly at the waistband of his sweatpants and underwear. "I want to go all the way with you. Is that ok?" He murmurs in a voice deep with want.

"I want it too," Jongin breathes, turning around in Kyungsoo's arms to kiss him. It seals the deal, and Jongin reaches behind himself blindly to shut the laptop, cutting off the yelling and explosion sounds from the movie.

Pulling Jongin closer by the hips, his hands waste no time in delving into his bottoms and tugging them down. Jongin breaks the kiss and eagerly helps him remove both of their clothes until they're completely naked. Kyungsoo pushes him down onto his back and hovers over Jongin to kiss him passionately, hands tracing his body. This is the first time he's seen Jongin completely nude, and he plans on savoring every inch.

Jongin moans rather loudly when Kyungsoo moves to suck his nipples, rolling the perky bud and silver stud around with his tongue. Jongin's hands tangle in his short hair, and when Kyungsoo pulls away from his work, nipples reddened with a few hickies surrounding, Jongin is already hard and leaking against his stomach.

"Already like this?" Kyungsoo reaches down to give him a few strokes. Jongin groans with a flushed face, hips bucking into his hand. "So cute."

"Hurry up," Jongin pants. "I want you so badly." He puts his hands on Kyungsoo's chest, and one slides up to cup his cheek. It's surprisingly tender, and Kyungsoo leans into the touch for a moment. And then with a sly smirk, Jongin spanks his butt, causing him to yelp.

"Ooooh, it jiggled."

Grumbling, Kyungsoo climbs off the bed to rummage through his luggage, retrieving lube and a condom. He turns around to see Jongin slowly jerking himself off, staring pointedly at Kyungsoo's ass.

"Shameless," Kyungsoo remarks, going back to him. Jongin smirks at him before grabbing his own legs and bending him up, baring himself to Kyungsoo.

Prep takes no time, and Jongin shyly admits that he's been fingering himself lately, thinking about Kyungsoo. It causes Kyungsoo to groan and quicken with the prep, eager to be inside of Jongin as soon as possible. And soon enough he's grabbing Jongin's thighs (right where those cute garter tattoos are) and pushing in.

Jongin lets out the most beautiful moan as Kyungsoo bottoms out, and he reaches out for him. Kyungsoo leans down, and Jongin wraps his arms around his shoulders, tugging him close and kissing at his ear. He whispers Kyungsoo's name, causing him to shudder.

Despite the build-up, it's romantic and slow. As much as Kyungsoo wants Jongin, he wants to savor every moment - how Jongin lets out a little sound every time he thrusts, the way he clings to him, how beautiful and debauched Jongin looks against the hotel pillows, face flushed and eyes wet, but mostly how Jongin murmurs sweet nothings into his ear. It's so unlike what Kyungsoo would've expected the first time he saw Jongin, but it's incredibly endearing.

Leaning down, Kyungsoo kisses Jongin and reaches between them to touch him where it matters most. Jongin whimpers into the kiss, and one more thrust has him cumming with a moan of Kyungsoo's name. Kyungsoo follows shortly after into the condom.

They're understandably breathless once it's over, and Kyungsoo gets up to clean up, throwing away the condom and cleaning Jongin's stomach and bottom. He happens to glance up and see Jongin looking at him with sleepy eyes and a tired smile.

"What?" Kyungsoo asks with a grin of his own.

Jongin shrugs and closes his eyes. "Nothing. I'm just happy."

Tossing the wet wipes into the trashcan, Kyungsoo turns out the lights and climbs into bed with him. He kisses Jongin's forehead. "I'm happy too."

 

When Kyungsoo wakes up the following morning, close to noon, Jongin is no longer next to him. 

With furrowed brows, he sits up and looks around. Jongin’s clothes are still abandoned on the floor, but the bathroom is empty. It isn’t until he turns to look at the sliding glass doors of the balcony that he spots a familiar tan butt lounging outside across one of the fold out chairs. The morning sun shines and turns Jongin’s skin gold as he lies on his stomach. He’s lucky that Kyungsoo’s room is on the top floor and the railing of the balcony is thick concrete. 

Kyungsoo stares at his naked body and smiles. Every worry he’s ever had disappears when he’s around Jongin, and it’s no longer superficial attraction but something deeper. Jongin makes his loneliness go away and turns him into someone less pessimistic. Kyungsoo couldn’t be more thankful to have met him - or to have been dragged into this vacation.

Getting up from the bed, he goes out to join Jongin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone!  
> so as i said before, this was left unfinished bc i couldn't finish in time, but i finally have the second part! now it may seem like i tacked all this on for no reason, but this was all planned out before i started writing. this was originally supposed to run as one whole cohesive piece. i hope you enjoy it nonetheless!
> 
> warnings: minor character death

"So what now?"

"Hmm?" Kyungsoo looks up from poking at the fire in front of him. Jongin sits next to him on the beach, illuminated by both the moonlight and the warm light from the fire, and his eyes are trained on the cresting waves several yards away, looking thoughtful.

"What happens to us now? You leave in four days," Jongin mumbles the last part. "Are we going to be long distance or...are we gonna end it--" Kyungsoo cuts him off.

"I'm not going to break up with you, Jongin." He reaches over to hold Jongin's hand. "We can still make this work."

"Are you sure?" Jongin still doesn't look at him, and Kyungsoo furrows his brows. He was acting perfectly fine until they came down to the beach an hour ago, and he started being distant and quiet.

"What's wrong?" Kyungsoo asks, giving Jongin his full, undivided attention. "Do you...want it to end?"

Jongin sighs as if aggravated and snatches his hand away from Kyungsoo's, and he fixes Kyungsoo with an exasperated look, even though his eyes are wet. "Why do you want me so badly? You're going to get bored of me when you're away because at the end of the day, I'm just a glorified beach bum. I'm not some Seoulite elite with a multi-million dollar business o-or a classy woman ready to become your arm candy." His sniffles and wipes at his misty eyes. "I-I don't want you to leave or forget about me, Kyungsoo."

"Hey, hey, shh." Kyungsoo hurries to hold him. "I'm not going to forget you, Jongin. I don't want to leave either, but it won't be the last time we see each other in person. I'd gladly buy you plane tickets to Tokyo or fly back here to Maui if I can. In fact, I was going to ask you if you wanted to come to Tokyo a month after I leave." He smiles as Jongin pulls away from his shoulder to look at him in surprise.

"Really?" A smile starts to form on Jongin's lips. "Oh my God, I've never left the island before." He holds his own cheeks in excitement.

"You might need some warmer clothes, but I think you'll like it there. It's a whole other world," Kyungsoo says, clinging to Jongin's side. "I'll buy your ticket tonight."

"Okay," Jongin replies cutely, tilting his head down to kiss Kyungsoo chastely. "But don't get in the habit of buying things for me. I don't like it." He wrinkles his nose.

"Take it as a one month anniversary gift."

"What about you then?" Jongin gives him a sultry look. "What about a two week anniversary gift?" He smirks as his hands slide up to push Kyungsoo down onto his back on the sand. Jongin glows in the firelight above him, piercings glinting.

"Hmm..." Kyungsoo returns the look as his hands settle on Jongin's waist. "I'd accept."

 

As much as Jongin wanted to follow Kyungsoo all the way to the airport to say goodbye, they couldn't. They settle on saying their goodbyes the night before his flight back to Tokyo in Kyungsoo's hotel room. It mostly consists of Jongin clinging to him and cuddling close to him until the early hours of the morning until he has to leave. There are tears of course, but the promise of still being together keeps them happy and hopeful, and Jongin leaves Kyungsoo's room with a kiss and a smile.

The flight back is uneventful and boring. Seungsoo and Yuri are staying in Maui longer, so Kyungsoo is able to be alone in his first class seat and try to sleep, even though he already misses Jongin's presence since they've been inseparable for the past two weeks. His saving grace is that once they land in Tokyo, he will be away for his family for another number of months.

He gets back to his penthouse apartment in the early morning, exhausted after the long flight, but once he checks his phone properly, Kyungsoo smiles at the text Jongin sent to him: a simple "I miss you," attached to a selfie of Jongin pouting while lying in bed. It's things like this that he knows are going to make him impatient and counting down the days until Jongin's scheduled flight to Tokyo.

Kyungsoo replies with a simple: "Sleep well. I miss you too."

Work doesn't allow him much time to think about anything, however, and Kyungsoo quickly gets re-accustomed to his busy schedule as CEO. He gets so busy that sometimes he forgets to text Jongin back or tell him about his day, but Jongin is incredibly understanding. To make up for it, Kyungsoo uses his free time at to have Skype calls with his boyfriend when he can, even if it's at odd hours for either of them. Jongin always talks about how eager he is to see Kyungsoo again or how he's started to buy warmer clothes, showing off his new sweater during one of their Skype calls (and not wearing anything else underneath).

It has Kyungsoo started to get ready for Jongin's visit himself once two weeks before the date approaches, clearing his schedule in advance and making sure his penthouse is nice and organized. Imagining Jongin lying next to him in his bed late at night has him falling asleep with a smile on his face.

But things change when Kyungsoo is woken up by his phone ringing one night.

He groans and rolls over in bed, squinting his eyes open to see his alarm clock reading 3:29 A.M. It's an odd hour, but it's not unusual for some business asshole to call and not be aware of timezones. Kyungsoo manages to sit up a little and grab his phone from the nightstand, eyes adjusting to the bright screen before he makes out the caller's ID.

_ Jongin _ .

It doesn't strike Kyungsoo exactly as weird since it's probably only 10 P.M. for Jongin, but they hadn't planned to call each other that night, and Jongin never called without making sure Kyungsoo would have time. Regardless, Kyungsoo answers it with a mumble. "Hello?"

_ "H-Hey..." _ Jongin's voice is shaky.  _ "S-Sorry for calling you..." _ He lets out a dry laugh, and the tone has Kyungsoo sitting up. Is he drunk?

"Jongin? Are you okay?" Concerned, Kyungsoo furrows his brows.

There's a sniffle and then Jongin starts to full on sob, shocking Kyungsoo. "Jongin? What's wrong?!"

_ "K-K-Kyung...soo..." _ Jongin is hyperventilating and stuttering.  _ "I-I'm...a-a-alone." _

Kyungsoo pulls the phone away from his ear and brings up Jongin's mother's phone number. Jongin is probably drunk or in distress, and he needs to be picked up. "Calm down, baby. Where are you? I'll call your mom."

Jongin sobs even harder.  _ "Y-You can't...She...M-Mom..." _

Kyungsoo freezes, blood running cold as he starts to infer what Jongin’s trying to say. "...Jongin?"

_ “Mom…” _ Jongin’s voice is a hoarse whisper.  _ “M-Mom’s gone.” _

Kyungsoo’s breath leaves his body in a whoosh. Although he didn’t know Mrs. Kim all that well, he did know that she’s everything to Jongin. He knows he should be comforting, but all he can ask is, “What happened?”

It takes a moment for Jongin to clearly answer. _ “H-Heartattack,” _ he sobs.  _ “‘Soo, I-I don’t know what...to do...I-I  _ **_can’t_ ** _...”  _ His voice breaks.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” Kyungsoo swallows thickly, wiping a stray tear from his own eye. Hearing his usually happy boyfriend so heartbroken has him tearful too. “Jongin, do you need someone?” He’s already reaching for his laptop to look at flights.

_ “N-No…”  _ Jongin sniffles as if he’s trying to wipe his eyes and hide his tears.  _ “I’m f-f-fine.” _

Kyungsoo frowns. “Are you sure? Just tell me, and I’ll fly out as soon as I can, baby. You don’t have to be alone.”

Jongin is quiet, holding in his tears, and then he whimpers. _ “Please...Kyungs-s-soo…” _

 

He manages to catch the next flight out a couple days later. Declaring it as a personal emergency, he leaves his work to his underlings (again) though he will remain on call this time, and he tells them not to talk about his absence - just in case he father gets word of it. Kyungsoo can only get a week off, though he’d like to stay in Maui longer.

Jongin is waiting for him when he arrives at the airport, and instead of being greeted with leis and smiling hula dancers, he's greeted with a broken version of his boyfriend. Jongin looks nothing like his previous happy self and is wearing a simple old shirt and basketball shorts. His hair is a mess and his eyes are tired, and when they land on Kyungsoo they automatically fill with tears, and Jongin's face turns into a sobbing grimace. He hugs him so tightly that it forces Kyungsoo to drop his bags. The people around start to look as he sobs into Kyungsoo's shoulder, both for the loss of his mother and the return of the person he needs the most.

Kyungsoo holds him close until he can calm Jongin down enough to hail a taxi.

Jongin hardly speaks during the ride to his house, only holding Kyungsoo's hand and looking out the window solemnly. Kyungsoo can't even imagine how he must feel. Jongin looks like he's barely slept or ate, lacking his usual glow and vigor; his poor fire dancer has lost its light.

Thinking about Mrs. Kim's words to him, about how Jongin was her miracle, Kyungsoo looks out his own window.

When they pull up, the sunny yellow house still looks the same, but something about it is a little lonely as Jongin helps him carry his bags inside. All the lights are off and there is no Mrs. Kim to greet him from the kitchen or her bedroom. Jongin sets his bags down in his room before coming back out and taking a seat on the couch.

"Hey," Kyungsoo murmurs, sitting down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

Jongin shakes his head and moves to lean against Kyungsoo. "Shitty."

Kyungsoo's frown only deepens, and he fits an arm over Jongin's shoulder and rests his cheek on top of his head. "I'm so sorry, Jongin. I wish I could do something."

"I missed you," Jongin mumbles, wiping his nose with his fist. His eyes are still puffy and red from crying earlier. "I feel a lil' better with you here."

"I missed you too, baby." Kyungsoo kisses the top of his head. "Are you hungry? I can try and fix us something to eat."

Jongin shakes his head. "Maybe later. I'm a little sleepy."

"I was just on a long flight, but you look more exhausted then I am." Kyungsoo smiles. "How about we go take a nap, hmm? You'll feel better if you rest."

Jongin looks like he wants to argue, but in the end his eyes are droopy and he yawns. "Okay."

They cuddle up in Jongin's too small bed again and strip down to their underwear, and Jongin instantly pulls Kyungsoo close like a lifeline, fisting his hands in Kyungsoo's t-shirt. Humming a gentle tune, Kyungsoo runs a hand up and down Jongin's back in a soothing manner, and just as Jongin's is on the cusp of sleep, he leans down to kiss him. Jongin manages to smile a little at that.

 

As the week goes by, Jongin starts to act a little more like himself again. Kyungsoo makes sure he sleeps and eats well. They go surfing a few times to make him feel better, and the day of the funeral that Kyungsoo graciously pays for, Jongin seems to get most of his mourning out of his system. They stay long after, watching the sunset and sitting by her grave.

“She liked to watch the sunset,” Jongin says with a smile and red, swollen eyes. “She’d like this one too. I’m sure she’s happy up there...wherever she is.”

The day after the funeral, Jongin feels well enough to go back to work at the surf shop, and Kyungsoo stays back at the house to catch up on some work he’s missed. He knows he should go back to Tokyo soon, but this time he doesn’t want to leave Jongin behind, not on his own like this. Jongin has other family, but he explained the other night that he was never close with any of them as most don’t approve of his “lifestyle.” Kyungsoo was well aware of the stares he received at the funeral. That made him miss Jongin’s mother even more as she’s the closest he’ll ever get to an approving parental figure.

Jongin must be thinking about it too and when they’re walking along the beach that night, he stops and turns to Kyungsoo. “What should we do? What should  _ I _ do?” The waves crash behind him, and the sea breeze blows his hair out of his face.

Swallowing thickly, Kyungsoo says. “You should stay here. It’s your home.”

Jongin frowns and reaches for Kyungsoo’s hand. “I don’t want you to go.” His gaze falls to their intertwined hands. “I can’t be apart from you anymore, and I’ve actually been thinking about it...about going to Tokyo with you, restarting there.” He looks up at Kyungsoo hesitantly, looking for his reaction. 

Kyungsoo furrows his brows, ponders, and then says, “No.”

“No?” Jongin is taken aback and blinks once in surprise before scowling. “What do you mean? You don’t want me there?”

Sighing, Kyungsoo gathers Jongin’s other hand in his. “What I mean is that this is your home, Jongin. It’s obvious that you love it with all your heart. You said you’re just a beach bum, but you’re not. You’re a beautiful dancer, and you shine here. What happens if you don’t like the city? Or what if something happens to us? I’d love to have you with me, I would, but Maui is your home.”

With eyes filled with emotion, Jongin laughs dryly and offers a sad smile. “It is my home, but there’s nothing left for me here. I’m alone, Kyungsoo.” It breaks Kyungsoo’s heart, and he steps closer.

“Jongin--”

“Give me a month,” Jongin suggests. “I’ll go to Tokyo with you and stay for a month. If I don't like it, then I'll move back home. If I do, you should let me stay." He looks at Kyungsoo with pleading eyes. It's clear that he really wants this, and as much as Kyungsoo wants to refuse, he can't.

"Alright. You can come back with me for a month," Kyungsoo acquiesces with a sigh. A happy grin immediately appears on Jongin's face, and he pulls Kyungsoo closer to embrace him, smushing Kyungsoo's face into his shoulder.

"You're making my dream come true," Jongin murmurs, unable to hide the joy in his tone.

"What dream?"

"I can finally leave the island." Jongin squeezes Kyungsoo tighter. "And I get to go see another part of the world with someone I love." His voice is soft and filled with emotion, and when he pulls away he sniffles.

Kyungsoo smiles and reaches up to cup Jongin's cheek. His pretty fire dancer cries so easily. "You love me?" he asks.

Jongin nods, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. "I do."

Kyungsoo's heart palpitates, and he can't resist leaning up to kiss Jongin softly but passionately. It feels like the first time anyone has ever said that to him and actually meant it. Jongin embraces him and pulls him closer, returning the kiss eagerly and lovingly. Kyungsoo wonders if this is what love is supposed to feel like, and he thinks he knows.

Panting once they pull away, Kyungsoo whispers. "Me too. I love you too."

Jongin chuckles and presses his forehead to Kyungsoo's. "See? Now how could you leave without me?"

Kyungsoo huffs. "I couldn't," he admits. "But still only one m--" He's interrupted when Jongin's nose brushes against his own and a kiss is stolen from him.

"No more about that. Let's just enjoy the last few days here." Jongin smiles and steps back but holds his hand out for Kyungsoo to take.

Sighing, Kyungsoo takes it and returns his smile. "Okay."

 

_ You can do this _ , he tells himself.  _ Just take deep breaths, Kyungsoo _ .

Taking a deep breath in and another out, Kyungsoo forces himself to relax. He can't stop staring at his shoes, polished and shining in the sunlight. The sand is going to get in them; he doesn't know why he chose to wear loafers now of all times--

He feels an elbow in his side, and Kyungsoo looks to his right to see Baekhyun raising a brow.

"You look like you're going to throw up," he observes with a grin.

"I feel like I am." Kyungsoo whispers worriedly, smoothing out the wrinkles in his indigo suit jacket for the umpteenth time. "Can I do this? I don't know if I can do this." He looks back out to the rows of seated guests, and he feels like he's drowning to the gentle sound of the piano and violins.

"Trust me. It'll be worth it." Baekhyun smiles comfortingly, looking out and subtly waving to Yixing who sits in the first row. "All your worries will melt away when you see him."

That only settles the stirring in his stomach a little. Chanyeol and Wendy walk down the aisle, both smiling at Kyungsoo, before going to their respective sides of the altar. Kyungsoo only calms down at the sight of Seungsoo and Yuri. His brother pats his shoulder and whispers  _ good luck _ , which makes Kyungsoo gulp, struggling to keep his hands folded in front of him and not clenched into fists at his sides. Jongin's friends, Taemin, Sehun, and Krystal are last, and when Youngmi and Seungsoo’s four year old daughter, Minah, come out to sprinkle petals on the aisle, Kyungsoo knows it's his last chance to shake out the jitters.

And then through the white curtains, Jongin appears.

Dressed simply in white dress pants and a white button-down, he takes Kyungsoo's breath away. Jongin is smiling bashfully, and his eyes are only looking at Kyungsoo. And surprisingly, his face is bare, no piercings present. It causes him to look younger, but no less beautiful. In his hands he holds a bouquet of pink plumeria, but Kyungsoo can hardly focus on anything other than how he longs to stride down that aisle and meet Jongin halfway. Baekhyun was right.

Kyungsoo's eyes already sting when Jongin is finally in front of him. He can't stop smiling, and he can't help how his hands shake as they hold Jongin's, familiar rough palms caressing his own. Stumbling through his vows, Kyungsoo knows he must look like a lovestruck fool, but he's always been since day one, since he first met Jongin in that surf shop.

Jongin starts crying too, wiping his eyes as he recites his own. Kyungsoo can only smile at him and squeeze his hands, touched as Jongin speaks of how he knew Kyungsoo was the one when his mother finally approved. The ring Kyungsoo receives belonged to Jongin's father, old and gold but still meaningful. It contrasts with the new and shiny platinum one that Kyungsoo slides onto Jongin's finger.

When they're finally able to kiss, Jongin moves to kiss him chastely, but Kyungsoo deepens it. It reminds him of the first time they kissed, late at night with the taste of soju. The cheers of their family and friends have them smiling, and when Kyungsoo pulls away his heart is pounding out of his chest. Jongin giggles and wipes Kyungsoo’s cheeks; he hadn’t even realized he was crying.

“Poor baby,” Jongin coos with a grin. “You didn’t even cry this much when I asked you to marry me.”

“You’re crying too, asshole,” Kyungsoo grumbles, but he can’t resist smiling. 

The reception is beautiful. The manager of  _ The Fisher’s Catch _ let them rent out the club for their use, and the outdoor beach area was decorated perfectly for a wedding. All of their friends had come, along with Jongin’s few cousins and Kyungsoo’s siblings. When Kyungsoo had come out to his family, he’d done it by simply stating that he was going to marry Jongin and that their wedding would be in Maui during the spring time. Needless to say, his parents weren’t happy, but as long as Kyungsoo didn’t publicize his wedding, he could keep running the Tokyo branch. It didn’t make him happy, but it wasn’t like he expected them to accept him as he is. The only sadness was that Jongin’s mother wouldn’t be there to see her son get married.

When the sunset comes around and the party starts to wind down, they manage to escape their friends and family. Hand in hand, they stroll barefoot down the beach, pants rolled up above their ankles. Looking down, Kyungsoo likes the look of his ringed hand holding Jongin’s. Jongin notices and raises his own left hand.

“I should’ve just gotten you a fancy ring too,” Jongin murmurs, frowning a little.

Kyungsoo shakes his head with a soft smile. “I like this one. It’s meaningful.”

“It makes me think of my parents. I hope they’re looking down on me and are happy.” Jongin turns to look at the sunset thoughtfully. “I wish yours’ were here too. It feels a little incomplete.”

“I don’t. I like having our small and private day together with no one else around.” Kyungsoo squeezes his hand. “I love you, Jongin.”

“I love you too, Kyungsoo.”

They stop and let the lukewarm tide wash over their feet, turning fully to watch the sunset over the water’s horizon. Jongin wraps a hand around Kyungsoo’s waist and tugs him close, pressing him to his side. Kyungsoo can’t resist the happy little smile he wears when Jongin presses a kiss to his head. This moment is perfect, and he knows he’ll never forget it for the rest of his life.

“Wanna go surfing tomorrow?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave kudos and comment! and here's kaisoo on their wedding day as a gift!


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